Trademarks

We offer the full range of trademark-related services ranging from national and multi-jurisdictional brand portfolio development, trademark clearance and prosecution through to enforcement, including trademark litigation both on a national and multi-national level. Our clients include global players as well as medium-sized companies. Our activities in this area include, inter alia:

  • Trademark Registration and Filing Strategies

    • Examination of mark registrability and filing requirements
    • Conducting searches for trademark identity and similarity in Germany and abroad
    • Preparing directories of goods and services
    • Examination for conflict with prior marks and corporate designations
    • Trademark registration with the German Patent and Trademark office and the EUIPO
    • International trademark registration under the Madrid Agreement and Protocol at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva
    • Representing clients in all administrative proceedings at the German Patent and Trademark Office and EUIPO
    • Representation in appeals against decisions of the trademark offices before the Federal Patent Court, the General Court (EGC) and the European Court of Justice (ECJ)
  • Defending clients’ rights in and out of court

    • Preparation of warning letters, writs, and interlocutory injunctions against infringing actions of third parties
    • Defending against false infringement claims
    • Measures against product piracy, in particular warning letters and injunctions against the distribution of pirated goods and parallel imports
    • Investigations and actions to locate and combat piracy through cooperation with customs authorities, monitoring of trade fairs and sales events, and monitoring Internet platforms and websites such as online auctions and forms.
  • Consulting

    • Drafting and negotiation of Trademark Coexisting Agreements
    • Drafting and negotiation of Trademark Licensing Agreements
    • Drafting and negotiation of Transfer Agreements