Trademark application/
Are you the owner of a medium-sized or small company, a freelancer or just starting a business and believe that trademark protection only concerns the really big players, namely those who share the advertising minutes in the media? That is a mistake! Brand protection concerns every entrepreneur – starting with freelancers and the self-employed.
Whyregister atrademark?
By applying for and registering your product or service as a trademark, it can be clearly assigned to your company and fulfills a total of three functions.
- With the differentiation function, you emphasize the uniqueness of your product or service and set yourself apart from the competition.
- Use the origin function to activate and intensify the recognition effect. This is because brands strengthen customer confidence in the quality of products and services, which increases awareness and makes advertising campaigns more successful.
- With the defense function, you can prevent your ideas from being copied by the competition. As part of the defense function, you as the trademark owner have the option of taking legal action against the misuse of your intellectual property.
The Trademark Act offers appropriate protection for your company name, which can supplement the application and registration of trademarks.
What we do for you andyour business ideas
The trademark application and entry of the trademark in the register at the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) is preceded by a thorough trademark search in order to avoid duplication. We will inform you in a preliminary meeting whether the products or services you offer can be protected as trade marks at the DPMA and what rights and obligations are associated with the trade mark application or the registered trade mark. Trademark searches and trademark applications are part of the services we offer as patent attorneys, which we are happy to take on for you.
Protection from imitators and loss
With a registered trademark, you have an effective defense instrument at your disposal to take action against infringements of your rights to your business idea, etc. at any time. This is important because you are threatened from three sides: Firstly, there are the copycats and free riders. However, it is often overlooked that someone else may be pursuing a concept in parallel and independently of you that is confusingly similar to your idea. Thirdly, another company, even in a completely different industry, may secure rights for itself that suddenly call your brand use into question. The dispute between Jack Wolfskin and the newspaper “taz” is a very illustrative and popular case in this regard.