Encyclopedia

DESIGN LAW / DESIGN PROTECTION

In developing your products or not is not only the technology, but also on their appearance (design). Designs are used to protect the external design of two-or three-dimensional objects. The same goes for any typographical characters. With pattern obtained copyright registrations of protection against replication of the pattern. Prerequisite for the emergence of such a property right is that the design is new and strange. The entry in the register shall be without substantive examination for novelty and peculiarity. The application for registration in the register must be accompanied by a sample representation of the pattern.

Design protection is initially for 5 years and may be extended for a fee to a maximum of 20 years. Initially be for a term of protection of 10 years, which can then be expanded to a maximum of 25 years for Typographic characters.

Our Services:

  • preparation and submission of German and international Design applications
  • cancellation proceedings

 

LICENSING LAW

With a license agreement, the licensor transfers his rights to an intellectual property right (eg on a brand or a patent) in whole or in part, to licensees. The licensor may grant an exclusive license, in which only a licensee is granted the right to use or a non-exclusive license, which can be assigned to more than one licensee. Basically, form and freedom of contract.

Our Services:

  • Elaboration of license agreements and franchise agreements, Know-how agreements and extrajudicial Compare

 

TRADEMARK

To protect goods or services of a business operation, a brand can eg the German Patent and Trademark Office, be registered with the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market in Alicante, and the international office in Geneva in the trademark register. The goods brand or service mark can be a word, picture, or voice command. The protection of a registered German trademark is 10 years from filing date and may be renewed any number of times by paying a fee for this period.

Our Services:

  • assessment of the protection of trademarks
  • Advice on the development of brand strategies
  • trademark searches
  • preparation and submission of Germans, European and International trademark applications
  • application, opposition and cancellation proceedings
  • Advice and representation in characteristic collision

 

PATENT AND UTILITY MODEL LAW

By a patent, a technical invention is protected against unauthorized use. The maximum term of a patent is 20 years from the filing date. In order to obtain protection for an invention by a patent at the German Patent and Trademark Office, the invention must be new, ie it may not be known from the prior art, the invention must involve an inventive step. You may not result in an obvious manner to those skilled in the art. An invention must be industrially applicable.

The utility model is a patent related technical protection law, which are not assessed for novelty and inventive step. The maximum term is 10 years shorter than for a patent. Therefore, the applicant obtained faster a property right to the patent, but it may be during an investigation in the event of a dispute as "bogus law." This disadvantage can be mitigated through good knowledge of the prior art.

Our Services:

  • research on the state of the art
  • preparation and submission of Germans, European and International Patent Applications
  • preparation and submission of Germans Utility model applications
  • registration, cancellation, opposition and cancellation proceedings
  • Analyses of Patent Portfolio
  • Patent Evaluation
  • Freedom-to-Operate Analyses