Great Success! We are excited to announce that our firm was successful in obtaining a significant ruling in a trademark case (T-497/24 – LOOP) regarding the binding effect of judgements of the General Court in Luxembourg for the EUIPO and Board of Appeal and regarding absolute grounds for refusal:

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The ruling, issued on September 10, 2025, deals with the binding effect (legal force) of judgements of the General Court (GC). The GC made it clear that the EUIPO is bound to the essential findings of the GC in case that the Board of Appeal’s decision is annulled and referred back to the EUIPO. In … Read more

Trademarks and Designs in the Metaverse

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Do you have the appropriate protection of your trademarks and designs in the Metaverse? The following shall provide an introduction and guidance to trademark and design protection in the Metaverse. What is the Metaverse? The Metaverse is an immersive, constant 3D virtual world which parallels our physical world and in which users can interact through … Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic and possible effects on the use requirement of trademarks

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The infection protection measures during the Covid-19 pandemic led to significant cuts in the sale of goods and services. In many cases, this also affects the genuine use requirement of trademarks. The article examines the cases in which there could be a legitimate reason for non-use according to Art. 19 TRIPS (also e.g. Sec. 26 … Read more

Important changes in German trademark law as of May 1, 2020

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As from May 1, 2020, trademark cancellation/invalidity proceedings at the German Patent and Trademark Office are provided as a new cost-effective alternative for trademark proprietors to act against third party’s conflicting trademarks. After May 1, it would not only be possible to file an opposition or a civil court action against a younger trademark registration, … Read more

Innovative, non-traditional trademarks: “Red Shoes”

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An important new feature to create uniqueness in the field of corporate identity and corporate design Our firm has recently managed to obtain a graphically non-representable trademark called “Other trademark” (Sonstige Marke) registered at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, which we would like to call avantgarde: The special thing about this so-called other … Read more