About Loek
Loek Steffanie European Patent Attorney who connects technology, patents and business strategy
With more than 25 years of experience, I help companies in chemistry, materials, coatings, biomedical applications and biotech protect their technology and use their patents strategically for growth, exclusivity and value.
My career started in the lab. As a chemical engineer and researcher I worked on a number of innovations, and alongside that I was involved in several business projects. As a result, I speak the language of researchers as well as that of entrepreneurs and investors.
From the lab to IP strategy
My technical foundation is in chemistry. That helps me get to the core of an invention quickly: what is genuinely new, what deserves protection, and where could a competitor design around it?
For a large part of my career I worked at an international chemical company, where I eventually led the IP Strategy & Intelligence team. Together with the IP creation team, we grew into a strategic partner for the business side of the company.
Over the years I saw the same pattern too often. Strong technology was carefully protected with patents, yet delivered little in business terms. And so the same question kept coming back:
“We spend a lot on patents. What are we actually getting out of them?”
That is why my approach starts with your business goals rather than with the invention. Before the patent application is filed, it should be clear which market position, exclusivity or commercial room you want to create or protect with your patents.
Patent strategy that starts from your business goals
Protecting an invention with a patent is not a goal in itself. For the company, what counts is what that protection makes possible: a larger market share, exclusivity, a stronger position with partners and more value for investors or shareholders.
So I look beyond the invention. Which markets matter? Which applications could become interesting later? Where is the commercial value? And how might a competitor try to get around the protection? The answers shape how we build your patent protection together.
Patents do not stand on their own. I consider them together with trade secrets and other IP rights, so the different forms of protection reinforce each other and fit your business strategy.
What you can count on
At home in chemistry
My technical background covers compounds, formulations, processes, polymers, coatings, pharma, food and biotech. That lets me grasp complex technology quickly and turn it into effective protection.
A business perspective
I look past the invention and link protection to business value: growth, exclusivity, bargaining power and a stronger market position.
Pragmatic and direct
Professional, precise and approachable. I advise what makes the most sense for your business, even when a patent turns out not to be the best choice.
More than 25 years of experience as a patent attorney
A selection from my background:
- More than 25 years of experience, most of it at an international chemical company
- Dutch patent attorney and European Patent Attorney
- Extensive experience with patent prosecution in Europe and beyond
- Experience with patent disputes and enforcement, including infringement proceedings and stopping counterfeits
- Vice Chair of AIPPI's Standing Committee on Trade Secrets (AIPPI is the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property)
Patents4Business and Novacon IP: creating IP and using it strategically
Besides Patents4Business, I am co-founder and Managing Partner of Novacon IP. The two companies have a clearly different focus.
Patents4Business focuses on creation: strong patents and other IP rights, built from your technology and your business goals.
Novacon IP focuses on the strategic use of IP, from IP strategy, portfolio reviews and valuations to IP intelligence and support with patent infringement and action against counterfeiting.
This lets me combine personal, direct advice through Patents4Business with the option to bring in specialist capacity quickly through Novacon IP when a matter calls for it.
The areas of chemistry I work in every day
Chemical inventions rarely fit a standard approach. Each type of innovation needs its own protection strategy and its own claim structure. These are the areas I focus on.
Chemical compounds
New substances and compounds, protected with broad claims and with an eye on how competitors might try to design around them.Formulations & compositions
Mixtures in which the components, ratios and properties can make the difference.Chemical processes
Production and reaction processes, from lab scale to industrial application.Polymers & plastics
New polymers, blends and materials with special properties and applications.Coatings
Coating technology, coating compositions and surface treatments.Pharma & life sciences
Active ingredients, formulations, applications and medical devices.Food & food chemistry
Ingredients, foods and supplements, including chemical and biochemical production processes.Biochemistry & green chemistry
Sustainable and circular chemistry, and biotechnological production using microorganisms or enzymes, for example.Catalysis
Catalysts protected through their composition, preparation, use and the process in which they are applied.Battery & energy materials
Materials for cathodes, anodes and electrolytes, in a technically complex and highly competitive patent landscape.
Questions for Loek Steffanie, European Patent Attorney
For me, a good patent application starts with the invention and with what you want to achieve commercially. I look at the market, at possible applications and at how competitors might try to design around the protection. That way we build protection that is technically sound and also adds to your market position, bargaining power and company value.
At Patents4Business you work directly with me as your dedicated patent attorney. If a matter needs more capacity or additional expertise, I can scale up quickly through Novacon IP, with patent attorneys and IP intelligence specialists. For that work, Novacon IP acts as a flexible, scalable team.
Yes. During my years in industry I worked on infringement cases and on stopping counterfeits in several countries, inside and outside Europe. I handle these matters through Novacon IP, for example by preparing an infringement case, gathering and analyzing evidence and supporting the litigators. That keeps a direct line between the original patent strategy and the moment you actually want to enforce that protection.
Yes. I work with companies in the Netherlands and abroad, both on site and remotely. Video works well for many consultations, and where meeting in person adds value, I am glad to meet on location.
I have extensive experience with patent prosecution in Europe and beyond, including the United States, China, Türkiye and Israel. For protection outside Europe, I work with local patent attorneys.
Then that is what I advise. Not every innovation has to end up in a patent, and sometimes protecting it as a trade secret is worth more. I look at what you want to protect, how long that lead stays relevant and how easily a competitor could work out the technology. It is not always a choice between the two: the best strategy can also be a combination of both.
What could protection mean for your innovation?
In a strategy call we look at your innovation, your market and your plans. Afterwards you have a clearer picture of what you want to protect, whether a patent is the best way to do it and how that protection can support your business goals.