Sustainable strategy. Lasting success. We provide you with comprehensive advice on the strategic development of your IP portfolio.
IP Strategy
We maximise the value and protection of your intellectual property and secure lasting competitive advantages for you.
After analysing your needs and objectives, we work with you to assess the importance of your intellectual property rights and classify them according to their strategic relevance. We identify potential gaps or weak points through a comprehensive risk assessment. And we recognise which registered rights cost you more in the long term than they actually benefit you. Our aim is not to provide theoretical maximum protection, but to offer practical optimum protection.
An international IP strategy requires a differentiated approach.
When analysing your portfolio, we consider the legal and economic characteristics of your foreign sales markets. In doing so, we can draw on our international network of proven and experienced lawyers.
We provide you with strategic advice on all issues relating to the licensing of your intellectual property rights.
We assist you in granting licenses to third parties to generate additional sources of income and secure the use of your property rights. We also provide support for in-licensing of property rights. Our team ensures that license agreements are clear and legally sound.
On the subject: From our IP blog
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.
The legal dispute between the "Glück" jam manufacturer (Glück = German word for luck) and its competitor "LieBee" honey (a pun between the German word for love “Liebe” and the English word “Bee”) has now reached the third instance before the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH). Since 2019, the manufacturers have been locked in a dispute over whether the "LieBee" honey constitutes an unfair imitation of the "Glück" jam jar. Now, the German Federal Court of Justice has overruled the decision of the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg that had decided in favour of the “Glück” manufacturer (see BGH, judgement of 7 December 2023, case no. I ZR 126/22). The BGH held that the mere use of an "emotional catchphrase" as a product name does not establish competitive originality and cannot lead to an unfair product imitation and deception of origin. The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg must now review its decision, taking into account the legal opinion of the BGH.
In New York, a legal dispute that has been pending since 2018 between the luxury company Chanel and the reseller What Goes Around Comes Around (WGACA) is entering the next round. At the heart of the dispute are typical issues that arise time and again in disputes between (luxury) brand owners and commercial resellers. Reason enough for us to examine the limits of what is permissible under German and European trademark law.
In the ever-evolving digital landscape of the metaverse, trademark protection takes on new dimensions. In our new blogpost, we explore the complexities of international jurisdiction in trademark infringement cases within the literally borderless world of the metaverse. Unravel the complexities of legal boundaries in this virtual realm and learn how to navigate them to safeguard your brand.
Three reasons for HARTE-BAVENDAMM
Satisfied clients, numerous top-tier rankings, major publications, extensive litigation experience: intellectual property law is our core competence.
We represent your interests with ingenuity and dedication. We protect your intellectual property and develop creative strategies. Complex cases are our strength.
As a strong partner, we advise our clients decisively, confidently and effectively. Even in tense conflict situations, our team always keeps a cool head and finds convincing solutions.
