Your Patent Aattorney for Design Law & Design Patent Law
You want to protect the design of a product?
You are looking for a protection strategy in connection with trademarks and patents?
You want to take action against product pirates from an existing registered design or from a non-registered design?
You want to know whether a design of a competitor is legally valid?
EU designs are referred to as design patents. German designs are referred to as design. However, the terms ” Design” and ” Sample Design” are often used synonymously.
Design registrations
As design law attorneys we advise you nationwide on design applications in Germany before the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA), in Europe before the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and on international design applications before the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO). To support design proceedings abroad, we rely on our worldwide network of design law attorneys and law firms specializing in this field. In addition, your design law attorney will also advise you on non-registered design rights.
A design lawyer will advise you on the design registration strategy
Your Design Law attorney will advise you on the various possibilities for design applications and alternative ways to obtain design protection. In doing so, we take into account your economic environment, especially the life cycles of your products, your competitors and your customers.
Litigation
We represent you both in cancellation proceedings before the offices and the Federal Patent Court and in infringement actions before the regional courts. In preparation for a legal dispute, we also advise you on warnings, licenses or authorization requests or conduct design searches for you.
Strategies
Design protection for different variants
Do you want to protect several manifestations of a product? In this case, we recommend filing a collective application with up to 100 designs to save costs.
Design protection and colors
You do not want to limit your design right to a certain color scheme? Then we recommend that you submit a design application as a black and white drawing or black and white photo.
Design protection for short product cycles
You are wondering whether a design application is really worthwhile because your products, e.g. from the fashion industry, are only subject to very short product cycles? If so, we recommend that you postpone the publication of your design for up to 30 months or that you only publish the design in the event of a dispute. This will significantly reduce the official fees.