Trademark Law

Trademark Law and Industrial Property Rights

The importance of trademarks has grown dramatically in recent years. This is evident not only in the constantly growing number of trademark applications at the German Patent and Trademark Office in Munich and Jena, as well as at the European Union Intellectual Property Office in Alicante (European Union Intellectual Property Office, EUIPO). The growing willingness of companies to defend trademarks and commercial signs (especially company names) also reflects this.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, such as the – possibly justified! – demand from a competitor to change the company name within a very short time frame, it is necessary to choose the company name carefully and, if necessary, secure it legally by registering a trademark even when founding a company. The courts consider it negligent to choose a company name and establish a company without first conducting a name and trademark search. To avoid mistakes here, ask your specialized attorney.

If you offer products or services, it is also advisable to check in advance whether you are unintentionally infringing on someone else’s trademark rights. Without competent legal advice, one can quickly experience unpleasant surprises in such strategic matters. We want to help you avoid this.

Therefore, we handle for you – from Frankfurt, but throughout the entire country:

• Trademark searches and company name searches
• Trademark registration in Germany (DPMA), Alicante (EUIPO) and in Geneva (WIPO) (so-called IR trademarks, which are based on a German or European Union trademark), additionally in selected countries directly or through partners
• Trademark monitoring (ongoing)

We register your trademarks and thus obtain protection for you. We also defend your trademarks against imitators as well as in cases where allegations of infringement of older trademarks or other rights are made against you, especially when warnings are issued or preliminary injunctions are granted.