IP rights & 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

Competition law

  • 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

Trade mark and designation law

  • 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

Design law

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

Patent and utility model law

  • 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

Know-how protection

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

Copyright

  • 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