We regularly publish articles on topics relating to intellectual property law.
The articles in this blog do not substitute professional legal advice by patent attorneys and attorneys at law.
The articles only provide an introduction to the topics of intellectual property law. Professional legal advice always requires considering the individual circumstances of a case.
Legal advice
If you would like more detailed advice from our patent attorneys, we would be pleased to hear from you:
Practical tips for creating patent drawings Drawings for an invention Drawings are not a mandatory part of a patent application, but they can be very helpful in understanding the concept of invention. In addition to sketches, technical drawings and photos, CAD...
Patent Search State of the Art The prior art search, along with the freedom-to-operate analysis (see our blog article 2/2019), is a search often performed to evaluate the patentability of an invention. In patent law, prior art comprises everything that is known to...
BPatG, Beschluss vom 12. 3.2020, 25 W (pat) 29/19 – Mädelsabend Signs which are per se devoid of distinctive character in relation to the goods and services claimed cannot acquire distinctive character through any kind of use on the goods claimed or in...
Protect colour marks The obstacle in the protection of colour marks Since 1995, colours and colour combinations (§ 3 Abs. 1 MarkenG) can be registered as trademarks at the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) and are therefore legally protected. In the case of...
BPatG, 27. 02.2020 – 30 W (pat) 809/18 – Fahrradsattel Under Paragraph 4 of Design Act a design which is used in or incorporated into a product which is a component part of a complex product is considered to be new and to have individual character only...
Der Gesetzesentwurf zur Vereinfachung und Modernisierung des Patentrechts So lautet die Begründung, „nicht zuletzt im Hinblick auf die fortgeschrittene Digitalisierung, Verfahrensabläufe zu vereinfachen, Regelungen des geltenden Rechts klarzustellen und...
IP-Compliance In addition to IP rights (patents, utility models, trademarks, designs), intellectual property also includes copyrights and software as well as, for example, trade secrets and know-how. “Compliance” means “fair treatment” of...
Plagiarism and counterfeiting Product piracy is understood as the targeted infringement of copyright or intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, designs), in which protected works and goods are produced and distributed on the market. The focus of product...
3D printing: A new generation of prototyping In industry, 3D printing technology has already been used for decades. Increasingly, 3D printing is also used by private individuals and offered by print stores to produce models and products. Interest in the use of 3D...
Trademark preliminary searches It is strategically important for the success of a company to secure trademark rights. The intention should be to avoid a trademark dispute and one should thus ensure that no third-party property rights are infringed when going to...