Dr.-Ing. Michael Wallinger holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and has been admitted as a German Patent Attorney since 1987 and as a European Patent Attorney since 1988. Wallinger Ricker Schlotter Tostmann emerged from the patent law firm he founded in 1989, which operated as Wallinger and Partner from 1996 to 2007.
Dr.-Ing. Wallinger studied mechanical engineering at Clausthal University of Technology, majoring in transmission technology, internal combustion engines, and plain and rolling bearings; research assistant at the Institute for Friction Technology and Machine Kinetics at Clausthal University of Technology, the former Max Planck Institute for Friction Technology; dissertation on the lubrication of gears according to elastohydrodynamic theory.
In addition, Dr.-Ing. Wallinger majored in electrical measurement and control engineering; worked for several years as a research assistant at the Institute of Electrical Engineering at the Clausthal University of Technology; developed computer programs in various programming languages for scientific projects for NASA, among others; developed electronic measurement equipment for test benches, supervised the institute's own computer systems in the Institutes of Electrical Engineering and Friction Engineering.
Since 1983, Dr.-Ing. Wallinger has been involved in significant patent litigation involving a triple-digit number of patent infringement, invalidity, and opposition cases. A significant number of these cases have been finally decided by the German Federal Supreme Court and are often considered landmark decisions.
These decisions include: "Diving Computer" in relation to the patentability of software programs, "Radio Clock I, II" in relation to international jurisdiction, "Torque Transmission Device" and "Time Telegram", which are landmark decisions for claim amendments during the patent examination phase, and "Sprocket Arrangement" and "Multiple Gear Hub", which represent legal precedents in relation to the interpretation of patent claims.
The decision, "Orange Book Standard," concerns the tension between patents and standards under antitrust law. In these cases, Dr.-Ing. Wallinger has represented large companies, such as automobile manufacturers and automotive suppliers, as well as medium-sized companies. The technology in these cases includes mechanical devices, particularly for the automotive and bicycle industries; electronic products, such as CDs, CD-Rs, DVDs, and DVD-Rs; and computer-controlled devices, such as automatic transmissions, air conditioning systems, and measuring instruments.
