BRANDI Competence

Competition law

The protection of trademarks, designs, patents, copyrights and know-how is becoming increasingly important in a globalized economy with constantly increasing competitive pressure. This applies to small and medium-sized companies just as much as to internationally operating family-owned companies and corporate groups. We advise and represent you in all matters surrounding the protection of intangible assets. This includes assistance with the development or optimization of an intellectual property portfolio as well as representing clients in infringement matters in and out of court. Closely related to this are the competition law aspects of advertising and distribution. We examine your advertising (or your competitor's advertising), advise you on the organizational set-up of new distribution concepts, and represent you in competition-related disputes with competitors or watch dog associations.

We have bundled our comprehensive experience in these fields in the BRANDI Intellectual Property & Competition Law Specialist Group. A team of proven experts for intellectual property and competition law from various offices will support you.

On the international level, we work closely with specialists from our foreign partner firms and are therefore able to advise and support you in cross-border matters as well. We moreover collaborate closely with various patent law firms, especially in technical matters.

Priorities

Violations against competition regulations (warning, pre-liminary injunction, action)
Assessment of advertising material, web pages, online shops, advertising campaigns, contests, General Terms and Conditions etc. with regard to compliance with competition law
Price information
Labeling obligations
Law on the advertising of medicinal products
Protection against imitation
Competition in the public sector

Application of German trade marks, community trade marks and IR trade marks
Trade mark research, management and monitoring
Consulting on trade mark strategies
Contract design (trade mark license and transfer agreements, delimitation agreements)
Conduction of opposition and cancellation proceedings before authorities, the German Federal Patent Office and the General Court
Border seizure processes
Trade mark and designation infringements (warning, preliminary injunction, action)
Trademark infringements abroad
Rights to names, company signs, and titles of works

Application of German and EU designs (formerly known as design patents)
Design infringements (warning, preliminary injunction, action)
Design license agreements

Patent and utility model infringements (warning, preliminary injunction, action)
Cooperation with patent attorneys
Employee invention law
R&D contracts
Technology transfer agreement
Patent license agreements

Non-disclosure agreements (NDA)
Know-how protection agreements

Copyright infringements (warning, preliminary injunction, action)
Contract design (copyright license agreements, music publisher agreements, orders for compositions, artist contracts, band take-over agreements, concert agreements etc.)
Related property rights (in particular image rights, databases, sound recordings)
Publishing

Freedom of press and speech

Media law

Henri Backhaus

Lawyer

Hanover
English

Dr. Carsten Hoppmann

Lawyer and Notary in and for Hannover
Certified Specialized Attorney in Commercial and Corporate Law
Certified Specialized Attorney in Intellectual Property Law