Trademarks and
other signs

Concise signs create recognition. Trademarks set signals – they give companies identity and differentiate them in the market.

Their value can far exceed that of the underlying product.
A trademark does not only serve to identify goods and services, it is more than that: Trademarks convey emotions and shape perception – they can consist of words, logos, numbers, colours, shapes, sounds, even smells or other types of clearly definable signs.

Every trademark application is preceded by a thorough search. We enthusiastically familiarise ourselves with the relevant market and its special features in terms of marketing, sales and competition and check whether identical or similar trademarks already exist – both nationally and internationally. This avoids conflicts with older rights in advance. We create a sustainable basis for our clients’ trademark strategy. Our experience enables us to strike an intelligent balance between practicable solutions and legal reliability, thus meeting the need for economic feasibility and legal clarity.

We protect our clients’ trademarks by registering them wherever commercial expansion requires it – be it with the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the national trademark offices of other countries or via international registrations with the WIPO. From choosing the appropriate trademark type to classifying goods and services, we guide our clients to legally secure registration.

If oppositions are raised by owners of earlier rights after a trademark has been registered, we represent our clients in proceedings before the competent trademark offices.

Following registration, we take over the ongoing monitoring of our clients’ trademarks on request and provide information on newly filed or registered trademarks that come dangerously close to their rights – and we provide clear recommendations for decisions on further actions, for example by means of an opposition or warning letter.

In the event of unauthorised use of identical or similar signs, our lawyers enforce your trademark rights – both in court and out of court, in preliminary injunction proceedings and in proceedings on the merits. We also guide our clients through the defence against trademark-related attacks with a keen sense for promising approaches and realistic perspectives.