Trademark law in Cologne, Dusseldorf & Wiehl, Germany - Legal advising

A trademark stands for quality and tradition. The purpose of the trademark is to generate trust and recognition. As the benefits of a registered trademark are self-evident, registration of trademarks is enjoying increased popularity. Registering a trademark gives the owner legally documented trademark protection, which enables the owner to prohibit the use of a similar or identical trademark by third parties. Additional issues include destruction and revocation claims, presentation and inspection claims as well as compensation and information claims.

However, as the number of registered trademarks rises, so does the number of trademark law infringements. This also applies to the international registration of marks and community trademarks, as well as national trademarks. Alongside the legal protective regulations the decisive factors are most often the time of registration or the use of distinctive marks or trademarks.

Ultimately, special significance is assigned to trademark law through recent European case law, which illustrates the limitations of national trademark protection. For example, the question arises of when third parties are permitted to use a brand name and to what extent or when the legal claims to the trademark expire.