Vereenigde maintains its position at the top of patent prosecution after peers said the agency was "second to none". There were substantial promotions last year with Hajo Kraak, Johannes van Melle and Frits Schut becoming partners, along with five associate promotions to senior level. Three junior associates also joined the firm. In one stand-out case the agency advised the Japanese chemical company Ajinomoto in an infringement case against Global Bio-Chem Technology (GBT). The District Court of The Hague subsequently placed an injunction on GBT from marketing the infringing products in the Netherlands. Client of the agency, Emmy van Oosterom from Erasmus, says: "We're in need of a good specialist in biotech and it does a great job in providing us with good advice."