News & Analysis as of

Germany Intellectual Property Protection

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

UPC Structure – local, regional and central divisions and Court of Appeal, Judges & Languages

The UPC has a Court of First Instance (divided into local, regional and central divisions) and a Court of Appeal (Luxembourg). Cases can commence in any one of these divisions according to the subject matter and the...more

International Lawyers Network

Different Kinds of Cool That Still Just Don’t Register: Why Birkenstocks & Melted Rink Ice (AKA Water) Aren’t Copyrightable

In 2015, the Wall Street Journal observed why Birkenstock sandals might be considered cool: “It’s a taboo thing,” said New York-based stylist Brian Coats, who dresses Jimmy Fallon....more

Knobbe Martens

German Sandals Follow the Functional Footsteps of U.S. Cheerleader Uniform Shape

Knobbe Martens on

In a recent decision, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice held that Birkenstock’s sandal design was not eligible for copyright protection. The court held that Birkenstock sandals did not display sufficient creativity to be...more

Fish & Richardson

Munich Appeals Court Reinforces Security-Centric FRAND Framework in SEP Dispute

Fish & Richardson on

Standard-essential patent (SEP) licensing remains a critical issue in Europe, where political bodies and national courts at times diverge in the interpretation of fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing...more

Goodwin

France Takes Pioneering Step in Recognizing Blockchain Time-Stamping as Proof of Authorship in Intellectual Property

Goodwin on

In a landmark decision, France has joined the ranks of leading jurisdictions in recognizing blockchain as a valid method for establishing proof of authorship and intellectual property (IP) rights....more

A&O Shearman

The Unified Patent Court asserts its jurisdiction to determine damages following national court infringement ruling

A&O Shearman on

In a landmark decision Fives ECL, SAS v. REEL GmbH on January 16, 2025, the Court of Appeal (CoA) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) clarified the jurisdictional boundaries of the UPC. This decision has far-reaching...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

German Birkenstock Decision Shows the Limits of Copyright Protection for Functional Designs

Quarles & Brady LLP on

“Aber ist es Kunst?” - That question—“But is it art?”—was before the German Bundesgerichtshof (“BGH”), or Federal Court of Justice, in a recent proceeding involving the well-known Birkenstock sandal design. ...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Legal Lens on the Unified Patent Court | Q1 2025

McDermott Will & Emery on

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is revolutionizing the way patents are enforced in Europe, and McDermott’s intellectual property (IP) team is here to help you navigate this dynamic landscape. Our Legal Lens on the Unified...more

Jones Day

Wallpaper With Copyright-Protected Images: Limits to "Expected Commercial Use" in Germany, France and the United Kingdom

Jones Day on

The Situation: Photo wallpaper will most likely be copyright-protected. There are limits to implied consent of the rightsholder, particularly in relation to the commercial use of images or other copyright-protected objects in...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

AI IP Year in Review - AI Inventorship: Navigating Patent Rights Around the Globe

The USPTO released proposed guidelines addressing the complex issue of AI inventorship. The USPTO is not the only agency attempting to tackle this issue; jurisdictions across the globe have been grappling with whether...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Legal Ninja Snapshot: #Employment Contracts: Digital Employment Contracts in Germany – But When is a Wet Ink Signature Still...

Digital Employment Contracts Are Now Generally Allowed With the new year, the Fourth Bureaucracy Reduction Act ("BEG IV") brings more flexibility by replacing the need for written form and qualified electronic signatures with...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Data Mining for AI Systems Training Permitted Under German Law

McDermott Will & Emery on

In a landmark decision, a German district court recently decided that copying images to create a data set that can potentially be used for training generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems does not infringe German...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Legal Lens on the Unified Patent Court | October 2024

McDermott Will & Emery on

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is revolutionizing the way patents are enforced in Europe, and McDermott’s intellectual property (IP) team is here to help you navigate this dynamic landscape. Our Legal Lens on the Unified...more

Hogan Lovells

AI & Copyright: First decision, and missed opportunity, in Germany

Hogan Lovells on

In an eagerly awaited decision, the Hamburg Regional Court is now the first in Germany to rule on AI training datasets under EU copyright law. While the court managed to avoid the most controversial issue, namely whether the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Legal Lens on the Unified Patent Court | September 2024

McDermott Will & Emery on

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is revolutionizing the way patents are enforced in Europe, and McDermott’s intellectual property team is here to help you navigate this dynamic landscape. Our Legal Lens on the Unified Patent...more

Hogan Lovells

Trademark Insight 08/2024 – European Union & Germany // Country Focus - Poland

Hogan Lovells on

This issue of Trademark Insight once again contains some noteworthy decisions from recent months. Of particular interest are the decisions on the legal concept of complex likelihood of confusion (komplexe Verwechslungsgefahr)...more

Hogan Lovells

German Supreme Court paves the way for broader application of implied consent in copyright law

Hogan Lovells on

In three judgements dated September 11, 2024, the German Supreme Court expanded the scope of “implied consent” as a limitation on copyright protection (Cases I ZR 139/23; I ZR 140/23; I ZR 141/23)....more

McDermott Will & Emery

Legal Lens on the Unified Patent Court | August 2024

McDermott Will & Emery on

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is revolutionizing the way patents are enforced in Europe, and McDermott’s intellectual property team is here to help you navigate this dynamic landscape. Our Legal Lens on the Unified Patent...more

A&O Shearman

Is there a trend towards bifurcation at the UPC?

A&O Shearman on

In an order (UPC_CFI_410/2023, ORD_35569/2024) dated 10 July 2024, the Mannheim Local Division referred a revocation counterclaim to the Central Division in Paris previously seized of a parallel stand-alone revocation action,...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Legal Lens on the Unified Patent Court | July 2024

McDermott Will & Emery on

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is revolutionizing the way patents are enforced in Europe, and McDermott’s intellectual property team is here to help you navigate this dynamic landscape. Our Legal Lens on the Unified Patent...more

Jones Day

Prior Art and Public Availability: Key Decisions in German Patent Litigation

Jones Day on

The Situation: Even after the introduction of the European Unitary Patent Court, Germany remains a key battleground in major patent litigations. In the bifurcated German litigation system, nullity cases are heard before the...more

Hogan Lovells

Neues Gesetz stärkt Justizstandort Deutschland: Einführung von Commercial Courts und Englisch als Gerichtssprache

Hogan Lovells on

Am 4. Juli 2024 verabschiedete der Bundestag das Gesetz zur Stärkung des Justizstandortes Deutschland. Es führt Commercial Courts und Englisch als Gerichtssprache in der Zivilgerichtsbarkeit ein, um die Attraktivität...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Legal Lens on the Unified Patent Court - March 2024

McDermott Will & Emery on

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is revolutionizing the way patents are enforced in Europe, and McDermott’s intellectual property team is here to help you navigate this dynamic landscape. Our Legal Lens on the Unified Patent...more

Jones Day

Unified Patent Court Publishes Its First Case Load Statistics

Jones Day on

The UPC, a single patent court for European Union Member States, has published the first statistics on its case load since its establishment in 2023. Between June 1, 2023, and January 31, 2024, a total of 196 cases were filed...more

Hogan Lovells

Trademark Insight 02/2024 – Europäische Union & Deutschland // Country Focus - UK Aktuelle markenrechtliche Entscheidungen aus...

Hogan Lovells on

die vorliegende Ausgabe des Trademark Insight hält erneut einige aktuelle und interessante Entscheidungen der letzten Monate für Sie bereit. Von besonderer Bedeutung dürften insbesondere die Vorabentscheidung des EuGH zur...more

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