Industrial property protection/ IP
The protection of industrial property rights as part of commercial law represents an important corrective of the market to create equal conditions for business cooperation for all parties. This area also represents a possibility for the economy to protect its own unique selling propositions on the market against unauthorized access and thus to position its own company.
In the field of intellectual property we are a reliable partner due to our many years of experience and our good relations to the (creative) economy in order to protect your intellectual property and to accompany your entrepreneurial projects and strategies.
In this context, it is important to set the course at an early stage with regard to the essential characteristics of a company, such as:
- company designation
- description of goods and services
- advertising strategy
- internet presence
- market positioning
in order to pave the way for later success. Equipped with the appropriate property right portfolio, disputes can often be prevented even before the "front door".
Should a dispute nevertheless arise, we place particular value on finding the most pragmatic solution for you, in close exchange with all parties, in order to leave you to concentrate on the essentials.
Competition, advertising and cartel law
In competition law, we advise and represent our clients in all aspects of unfair competition law. These "rules of the game" between competitors in business cooperation are essential in order to create hard but fair competition.
This includes both harming other competitors through aggressive or misleading behaviour as well as such behaviour towards consumers and other market participants.
Our extensive experience on all sides of a competition law dispute enables us to always offer you solutions tailored to your individual needs.
These include, for example, questions relating to
- Misleading and/or comparative advertising
- Protected indications of source
- Unacceptable harrassment
- distinguishing company marks
- labelling requirements
- indication requirements
- domains.
In this context, cartel law represents a state regulatory instrument in order to create and maintain competition as free as possible in commercial transactions.
Therefore, legal aspects are particularly important and are part of our consulting activities:
- Agreements between undertakings
- Examination of dominant position
- Examination of conduct restricting competition
- merger control
- Protectiveness and distinctive character of the trade mark
- Trademark search for earlier or conflicting rights
- Trademark defence and renewal before the authorities and courts
- Managing your brand portfolio
- Conduct of opposition proceedings
- Conduct of demarcation/co-existence negotiations
Please do not hesitate to contact us. We are at your disposal with our expertise.
Copyright
Copyright as an intangible intellectual property protects the author in the relationship to his work and the economically relevant exploitation rights. Advice on copyright law is characterised by the question of the scope of copyright protection, the so-called level of creation, which must be examined individually on a case-by-case basis. Once this has been achieved, copyright protection automatically arises for the work with all its rights and obligations.
In copyright law, as one of the core disciplines in IP law, we represent in particular:
- musicians
- photographers
- Artists
- writers
- designers
- architects
- Right holders/ successors
In particular, the following main topics that arise are:
- Examination and evaluation of the copyright protection in question
- Copyright disputes due to unlicensed work use
- Drafting and reviewing license agreements
- Advice and review of appropriate remuneration
- Barriers to copyright protection
Design law
For many of our clients, design law or design patent law represents an interesting opportunity to acquire an exclusive right for certain goods and their special characteristics.
Your unique new product in its concrete shape, colour and form is protected and entered in the appropriate register. In this way, you acquire the exclusive right to make use of this specific product and to achieve a unique position on the market.
Here we represent and advise you in all questions all around the:
- Possibilities and ranges of design protection
- registration and defence of designs
- Management of the design portfolio
- Representation before the German and/or international authorities/courts.