Intellectual Property

Research, ideas and their development regarding new products – these are the entrepreneurial values whose protection is of existential importance! In addition to strategic advice in connection with the development or acquisition of such intangible assets in the form of industrial property rights, our IP practice group offers all the services connected with the acquisition, procedural enforcement and defence of trademark rights.

This also includes us rendering advice and support in connection with the entrepreneurial exploitation of trademark rights, e.g. licensing them, selling them or transferring them by way of security. For this purpose, we create, review and negotiate licence contracts, proprietary-right purchase contracts, research & development contracts, as well as other cooperation contracts, and – not least – confidentiality agreements. We also assist with evaluating proprietary rights in the course of due diligence.

Copyright and media law focuses on the protection, enforcement and defence of creative achievements. We examine questions regarding the copyright protection of works such as photos, films or software and support the judicial and extrajudicial assertion of or defence against claims for injunction, information and damages. Moreover, we render advice regarding all of the issues of media law and the right to free speech as well as the general and special right of personality. Here we draw up inter alia production and licence contracts for the purpose of the commercialisation of media productions (film, music and multimedia), and assist authors and performing-rights companies in connection with the clarification of rights.

Furthermore, we also render advice in the area of domain law by representing companies in court and out-of-court proceedings as well as in alternative dispute-resolution proceedings.

We can assist you in these areas:

• trademarks
• design
• patents (in cooperation with experienced patent attorneys)
• copyright (e.g. photos, compositions, software)
• licences
• portfolio management
• domain law
• protection of personality (particularly on the Internet)