Die Sichtbarkeit von Bauelementen komplexer Erzeugnisse i.S.d. § 4 DesignG beurteilt sich sowohl aus Sicht des Endnutzers als auch aus Sicht eines externen Betrachters. Dabei muss das Bauelement nicht zu jedem Zeitpunkt der...more
The use of NFTs ("Non-fungible Tokens") can constitute a trademark infringement. This was recently decided by the IP Chamber of the Court of Rome (Tribunale di Roma, decision of 20 July 2022, ref. 32072/2022). The court...more
Durch die Nutzung von NFTs ("non-fungible tokens") können Markenrechte verletzt werden. Dies hat kürzlich die Kammer für geistiges Eigentum des Gerichts erster Instanz in Rom entschieden (Tribunale di Roma, Entscheidung v....more
The holiday shopping season is upon us once again and this year, much like last year, continues to present unique challenges and opportunities for consumer companies and retailers. In this nearly “post-COVID” environment,...more
12/22/2022
/ Brick-and-Mortar Stores ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Marketplace ,
E-Commerce ,
Fashion Industry ,
Holidays ,
Internet Retailers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Trademarks
Social media platforms have gained considerable importance in the field of online marketing in recent years and caused controversial legal questions. The German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) recently dealt with these in a...more
Social-Media-Plattformen haben in den vergangenen Jahren auf dem Gebiet des Online-Marketings erheblich an Bedeutung gewonnen und für umstrittene Rechtsfragen gesorgt. Der BGH griff diese zuletzt in einer Reihe von...more
Influencers who received goods or services free of charge from companies and then link to them on their social media channels, for example, by placing what is known in Germany as a "tap tag," generally have to label such...more
Influencer, die von Unternehmen kostenlos Waren bzw. Dienstleistungen erhalten und diese anschließend auf ihrem Social-Media-Kanal verlinken, beispielsweise durch das Setzen eines „Tap Tags“, haben die Beiträge grundsätzlich...more
Wird ein Zeichen allein in der Werbung markenrechtsverletzend genutzt, kann der Schadensersatzanspruch dennoch im Rahmen der Lizenzanalogie auf Basis einer Umsatzlizenz berechnet werden. Lizenzmindernd könne aber die...more
Rundfunkveranstalter haften nur für Werbung, die grob und offenkundig unzulässig ist. Die Arbeit der Fernsehsender dürfe durch weitreichende Prüfungspflichten im Interesse der Presse- und Rundfunkfreiheit nicht...more
The trademark "MALLE" remains cancelled. The EUIPO`s Board of Appeal had upheld a corresponding decision of the Cancellation Division in December 2020. This decision was now also confirmed by the (European) General Court...more
Die Marke „MALLE“ bleibt gelöscht. Die Beschwerdekammer des EUIPO hatte im Dezember 2020 eine entsprechende Entscheidung der Löschungsabteilung aufrechterhalten. Diese Entscheidung wurde nun auch durch das EuG bestätigt,...more
Eine geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung („g.U.“) kann auch durch eine unerlaubte Benutzung für Dienstleistungen verletzt sein. Der geografische Herkunftsschutz sei nicht ausschließlich auf Benutzungen im Zusammenhang mit...more
A protected designation of origin (“PDO”) may also be infringed by use for services. According to the ECJ in a recently published decision (C-783/19), the protection of geographical indications is not exclusively limited to...more
Due to diverging case law by the courts of instance, there has been considerable legal uncertainty with regard to influencer-marketing in Germany. The obligation of influencers to label certain posts as advertising has not...more
9/13/2021
/ Advertising ,
Competition ,
Endorsements ,
Germany ,
Influencers ,
Instagram ,
Marketing ,
Online Endorsements ,
Social Media ,
Unfair Competition ,
Websites
The typical crack and fizz sound that occurs when opening a carbonated beverage is not registrable as a sound mark as it lacks any distinctive character. This was decided by the General Court of the European Union (GC) in a...more
A "Champagne Sorbet" may only bear the name "Champagne" if the taste of the sorbet is also essentially characterized by Champagne. After years of litigation up to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) the Higher...more
The German Federal Court of Justice recently issued a decision declaring that the use of a photo of a prominent person for an editorial article infringes upon the right to one's own image if the photo is only used as a...more
3/10/2021
/ Advertising ,
Cease and Desist Orders ,
Copyright Infringement ,
EU ,
Germany ,
License Fees ,
Online Advertisements ,
Online Platforms ,
Online Reputation ,
Personality Rights ,
Photographs ,
Presumptively Relevant ,
Social Media ,
Social Networks
In a recent ruling by the Regional Court Hamburg (Case No. 308 O 431/17), the court awarded the heirs of children's book author Astrid Lindgren a right to information ...more
2/9/2021
/ Books ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Damages ,
EU ,
Germany ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Musical Sound Recordings ,
Publishers
CRD V: Draft Financial Holding Companies (Approval etc) and Capital Requirements (Capital Buffers and Macro-prudential Measures) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 -
HM Treasury has published a draft version of the...more
10/20/2020
/ Bank of England ,
Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) ,
Banks ,
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) ,
Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) ,
CRD V ,
Dear CEO Letter ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
HM Treasury ,
IRB ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
RTS ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
A well-known German influencer has to mark her posts on Instagram as advertising if she uses so-called “tap tags” to link her posts with the Instagram profiles of other brands. This was recently decided by the Higher District...more
10/7/2020
/ Advertising ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Endorsements ,
EU ,
Germany ,
Influencers ,
Instagram ,
Marketing ,
Online Endorsements ,
Social Media ,
Unfair Competition ,
Websites
A well-known Swiss chocolate manufacturer has been trying to achieve trademark protection for its golden Easter bunny for several years now. So far, its endeavours have been unsuccessful: The trademark application for the...more
In a recent decision, the Cancellation Division of the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) declared the word trademark MALLE invalid. According to the EUIPO, especially the German public would have understood the...more
2020 brings significant changes in the field of trademark law for proceedings before the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO). By 1 May 2020 – for the first time – there will be administrative proceedings for declaration...more
Das Jahr 2020 bringt bedeutende Änderungen im Bereich der markenrechtlichen Verfahren vor dem Deutschen Patent und Markenamt (DPMA) mit sich. Zum 1. Mai 2020 wird es erstmals ein amtliches Verfallsverfahren sowie ein...more