The biggest news on the litigation front this week: InterDigital is turning its litigation success into hard cash: the SEP holder is now seeking €101.7 million in damages from Disney at the Munich Regional Court. The decision comes after various courts found Disney has infringed several patents belonging to the plaintiff.

Meanwhile, the personnel carousel at law firms is in full swing. Carpmaels & Ransford, in its 250th anniversary year, has poached renowned Freshfields IP partner Christopher Stothers for its London team — the latest signing in a hiring spree that has boosted the firm's German and UK offering.

This is not the only patent partner departure from Freshfields this year: Jelle Drok has teamed up with former Vondst partner Arvid van Oorschot to launch Driven Lawyers in Amsterdam, an AI-native outfit built around their self-developed drafting platform and, tellingly, fixed fees rather than the billable hour.

Meanwhile, Pinsent Masons continues its steady European build-out with patent attorney Fred Nicolle joining from Simmons & Simmons — a firm whose London litigation bench is looking increasingly thin after a string of departures.