HARTE-BAVENDAMM Rechtsanwälte in Hamburg

Markeninhaber werden in streitigen Auseinandersetzungen vor den Markenämtern oder Gerichten regelmäßig mit der Frage der rechtserhaltenden Benutzung konfrontiert. Nach Ablauf der 5-jährigen Benutzungsschonfrist können nicht benutze Marken auf Antrag für verfallen und folglich aus dem Register gelöscht, oder im Rahmen eines Widerspruchsverfahrens nicht berücksichtigt werden. Denn im Grundsatz gilt: Wer eine Marke eintragen lässt, muss sie auch für die eingetragenen Waren und Dienstleistungen ernsthaft benutzen. Umso wichtiger ist es, dass Markeninhaber, deren Marke sich außerhalb der Benutzungsschonfrist befindet, die ernsthafte Benutzung ihrer Marke nachweisen können.

Today we would like to take you away from the legal side of things and introduce you to the "HB Academy" – our internal learning program. In addition to training legal expertise, the program also deliberately focuses on "soft skills" and the personal development of our junior lawyers. Last week, we hosted a half-day workshop with Carmen Schön, who gave us some useful impulses on how to improve our appearance, voice and the perfect pitch.

The year 2024 not only provides an extra day in February, but above all one thing: sports, sports and more sports. With the European Men's Handball and Football Championships, two mega events are taking place in Germany this year. Then there is the European Women's Handball Championship, taking place inter alia in Switzerland and Austria, and of course the Summer Olympics in Paris. As always, numerous companies are ready and waiting to benefit from the pulling effect of such major events. Reason enough for us to shed some light on what you need to bear in mind with event-related advertising measures and what obstacles need to be overcome when it comes to so-called “ambush” marketing. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Frida Felixmüller, who joined us during her legal clerkship, for her great support with this article.

In the fashion industry, first names are often used to designate clothing models. In recent years, this has led to a large number of legal disputes. In particular, the trademark “SAM”, “MO” and “Isha” has been used to issue warning letters to numerous companies that sold clothing models under these names or at least used these signs in their product descriptions. While the courts of instance initially ruled very generously in favour of trademark owners, the ruling practice has changed in recent years under the influence of the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) and trademark use and thus infringement has been assumed less frequently. The decisive factor for the question of trademark use is always whether the public perceives the first name as a (secondary) mark or as a mere model designation. Below we provide a brief overview of the change in case law and its practical relevance.