Vriesendorp & Gaade
Vriesendorp & Gaade is a Dutch patent and industrial-property agency founded in 1833.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Vriesendorp & Gaade, formally known as Octrooibureau Vriesendorp & Gaade B.V., is a Dutch professional-services firm specializing in patents and other areas of industrial property. Its origins date to 1833, when Anthony Vriesendorp and Jan Gaade began acting as representatives in patent-related matters in the Netherlands. The firm’s first recorded representative patent filing was submitted on 27 September 1833 and concerned an imported invention involving the refining of sugar and the distillation of spirits. The related patent was granted by the Dutch king on 9 November 1833 under the Patent Act of 1817. The firm’s early work was shaped by the legal and administrative structure of the nineteenth-century Dutch patent system. At the time, Vriesendorp and Gaade were described as commission agents, and their activities extended beyond patents to the preparation and submission of petitions and other documents to government authorities. A significant development occurred in 1837, when Anthony Vriesendorp was appointed government solicitor in The Hague. Because patents under the 1817 legislation were granted as royal privileges, the government solicitor’s role provided a natural institutional link between applicants, the administration, and the patent system. Following that appointment, patent filings became an increasingly important part of the firm’s practice. The firm was not continuously active as a patent agency throughout its history. The Netherlands abolished its national patent system in 1869, interrupting the domestic patent profession, although the country remained connected to the developing international framework for industrial property. Dutch participation in the Paris Convention, which entered into force for the Netherlands in the nineteenth century, and the later reintroduction of domestic patent legislation eventually created the conditions for the firm to resume its patent practice. After the Dutch Patent Act of 1910 took effect, F. L. Kleyn of Vriesendorp & Gaade filed an application that became patent number one under the new law. To mark the renewed emphasis on patent work, the office adopted the name Octrooibureau Vriesendorp & Gaade. The agency expanded during the early twentieth century and acquired the patent department of Van der Graaf in 1917. Its operations were disrupted but not entirely halted by the two World Wars. During the Second World War, communications with foreign countries gradually deteriorated, while the firm continued working until near the end of the conflict. On 3 March 1945, an Allied bombardment of The Hague directly struck the firm’s premises and adjoining offices. The resulting fire destroyed the accommodation and records. With help from the Dutch Patent Office, fellow patent agents, and clients, the firm reconstructed its files and administration after the destruction. Postwar changes in international and European industrial-property law altered the firm’s professional environment. The Treaty of Rome, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and the European Patent Convention expanded the geographical and procedural dimensions of patent practice, requiring agencies to work within increasingly coordinated international systems. By 2010, Octrooibureau Vriesendorp & Gaade B.V. was described as operating offices in The Hague and Apeldoorn, with approximately 40 employees engaged in industrial-property work. The available reference material does not establish the firm’s current ownership, executive leadership, employee count, or present operating status. Its documented identity remains that of a long-established Dutch patent attorney agency serving inventors, businesses, and organizations seeking protection for technical and industrial innovations.
History
The history of Vriesendorp & Gaade is closely connected with the development of Dutch patent administration. Although the Netherlands had granted privileges resembling patents in earlier centuries, a formal Patent Act came into force in 1817 under King William I. Vriesendorp & Gaade emerged in this environment in 1833, founded by Anthony Vriesendorp and Jan Gaade. Vriesendorp was a legally trained member of a Dordrecht patrician family, while Gaade’s residence at Westeinde 10 in The Hague initially housed the office. On 27 September 1833, the firm filed its first known patent application as representative. The application concerned an apparatus for refining sugar and distilling spirits, based on technology described in a French patent. The Dutch patent was granted on 9 November 1833. This filing established the firm’s presence in the patent records and marked the beginning of its documented activity as a patent agency. In its first years, the firm was described as a commission agency with a broad administrative and legal practice. Its work included preparing applications and petitions for submission to the government. Anthony Vriesendorp’s appointment as government solicitor in The Hague on 6 August 1837 strengthened the firm’s relationship with the state administration. Under the legal system then in force, patents were royal grants, making the preparation and submission of patent petitions a natural part of the solicitor’s work. The firm’s activity was interrupted by a major change in Dutch law. The Netherlands abolished patents in 1869, meaning that Vriesendorp & Gaade could not continue as a patent agency in the same way during the period without a national patent system. International industrial-property cooperation nevertheless developed during the late nineteenth century. The Netherlands became party to the Paris Convention, which helped establish a framework for protecting industrial property across national borders. A new Dutch Patent Act was introduced in 1910. After it came into force, F. L. Kleyn, acting for Vriesendorp & Gaade, filed an application that became the first granted patent under the new act. The firm resumed its patent-related role and changed its name to Octrooibureau Vriesendorp & Gaade, emphasizing its renewed specialization. During the First World War period, it expanded by taking over the patent department of Van der Graaf in 1917. The Second World War brought severe physical and operational disruption. International communications became increasingly difficult, although the office continued working until close to the end of the war. On 3 March 1945, an Allied bombardment heavily damaged The Hague. The firm’s premises received a direct hit, and fire destroyed the accommodation, records, and administration. The organization rebuilt its files with assistance from the Dutch Patent Office, other patent agents, and clients. After 1945, European and international agreements changed the scale and complexity of patent practice. The Treaty of Rome, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and the European Patent Convention created new routes for regional and international protection. Vriesendorp & Gaade adapted within this broader industrial-property environment. The firm was described in 2010 as having offices in The Hague and Apeldoorn and approximately 40 employees. The available sources do not provide reliable current information about its ownership, leadership, finances, or operations after that point.
- 2010
Two-office structure documented
[1]The firm was described as operating in The Hague and Apeldoorn with approximately 40 employees working in industrial property.
- 1945
Premises destroyed in the bombing of The Hague
[1]On 3 March, an Allied bombardment directly struck the firm’s premises. Fire destroyed the office, records, and administration, which were later reconstructed with outside assistance.
- 1917
Acquisition of Van der Graaf’s patent department
[1]The firm took over the patent department of Van der Graaf during the First World War period.
- 1910
Return of the Dutch patent system
[1]A new Dutch Patent Act took effect. F. L. Kleyn of the firm filed the application that became patent number one under the new legislation.
- 1910
Adoption of the Octrooibureau name
[1]The firm adopted the name Octrooibureau Vriesendorp & Gaade to reflect its renewed patent-agency practice.
- 1869
Dutch patents abolished
[1]The Netherlands abolished its national patent system, interrupting the firm’s continuous activity as a domestic patent agency.
- 1837
Anthony Vriesendorp appointed government solicitor
[1]Anthony Vriesendorp became government solicitor in The Hague, reinforcing the firm’s role in preparing and submitting petitions and patent applications to the authorities.
- 1833
Founding and first recorded representative filing
[1]Anthony Vriesendorp and Jan Gaade established the firm. On 27 September, it submitted its first documented patent application as representative for an invention concerning sugar refining and spirits distillation.
- 1833
First represented patent granted
[1]The patent represented by the firm was granted by the Dutch king on 9 November under the Patent Act of 1817.
Products and positioning
A historic Dutch specialist in patent representation and industrial-property services, combining nineteenth-century domestic patent-agency roots with practice shaped by European and international patent systems.
Professional service · 1833
Patent application and prosecution
Representation and procedural support for applicants seeking patent protection. The firm’s historical work includes preparing and filing applications under Dutch patent legislation, and its practice later developed within European and international patent systems.
Professional service
Industrial-property advisory services
Advice connected with patents and broader industrial-property rights. The available historical material identifies industrial property as the firm’s traditional business but does not provide a complete current service catalogue.
Professional service
International patent representation
Support shaped by the international and European patent frameworks that developed through the Paris Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and the European Patent Convention. Specific current filing jurisdictions and service packages are not documented in the supplied references.
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