updated December 2008
Patent Attorneys Ltd. Berne
The firm was founded in 1950 by Mr. Ernst Ammann under the name of AMMANN & CO., with one of his main clients as a partner.
In 1952 Mr. Ammann already had two technical collaborators. At that time, the activities of the firm were mainly in the field of time measurement as well as machinery, and later on also in the field of electronics. This development was coupled with the increasing tendency to electronic applications in virtually all technical fields. The basic concentration in the Swiss watch industry since about 1975 resulted in the creation of dedicated Intellectual Property firms and therefore in a gradual decrease of our relations with this industrial branch. On the other hand, our firm expanded its professional activities to the fields of electronic engineering, machinery, physics, and chemistry.
In 1971, AMMANN & CO. was transformed into AMMANN Patent Attorneys Ltd. Bern with Mr. Ernst Ammann and Mr. Martin Steiner as founders. This purely formal transformation of the firm had no influence on the general policy and activities of the firm. Since the death of Mr. Ammann in 1974, the firm has been directed by Mr. Steiner as president and Mr. Seehof as manager until 1994, and since 1995, by Mr. Seehof.
Today, our firm is not only experienced with patent matters, but also with trademark, design and licence matters. At present, the staff includes three European Patent Attorneys (SE, ST, BL), one attorney-at-law (AA) specialized in trade/service marks, one patent attorney trainee (SO), a competent secretariate, and a translator.
The premises are located near the center of Bern, the capital of Switzerland, and are conveniently reachable by train, plane, or by car. Besides, the Institute of Intellectual Property, i.e. the Swiss Patent Office, is situated nearby, so that urgent matters may be settled by hand-delivery.