Intellectual Property in Hannover. Brands, works and reputation.

Copyright arises informally on creation and stays with the person who created the work. For a business, then, what matters is not protection but whether it holds the rights of use its operations actually need.

• Grants of rights of use from agencies, freelancers and service providers, including clear buy-out clauses
• Rights in software, databases, photographs and web design
• Claims on infringement for an injunction, information and damages
• Copyright and new technology, such as training data for AI models
• Rights in work produced by employees are handled by our practice area Employment Law

Anyone exploiting content needs an unbroken chain of rights. Where a link is missing the exploitation stops, and that usually comes to light only when the broadcaster, the publisher or the buyer checks the rights.

• Licence agreements for every kind of use, nationally and internationally
• Film and television, from development through production to broadcast
• Music and publishing, including artist, author and distribution agreements
• Management, marketing and agency agreements
• IP audits and the transfer of rights on a transaction are supported by our practice area Corporate Law

German unfair competition law draws tighter limits around marketing than campaign planning usually assumes. A review before launch costs a fraction of the warning letter afterwards, and it keeps the date.

• Reviewing campaigns, claims, packaging and slogans before publication
• Prize competitions, discount campaigns and loyalty programmes
• Specific regimes such as the health claims regulation and the price indication rules
• Defending warning letters received and pursuing breaches by competitors
• Consent to advertising and its limits are handled by our practice area Data Protection

Reach is sold, and with that the rules of competition law apply. The label has to be apparent at first glance, and the rights in the content have to be settled before it is booked.

• Marketing, multichannel and product placement agreements
• Advertising labels and the question of when something was given in return
• Corporate influencing and the use of a company own staff as the face of the brand
• Clearing rights in music, images and third-party content
• Platform terms and the duties in e-commerce are handled by our practice area IT Law

Almost every case about what may be said turns on one question: statement of fact or opinion. Untrue facts can be challenged, opinions are broadly protected. That classification comes first, before any letter is written.

• Counter-statements, injunctions and retractions against publishers and journalists
• Removal of unlawful statements, fake reviews, images and video from platforms
• Claims for damages and for monetary compensation
• Advice before publication, including the statement made to the editorial team
• Where a live investigation is reported on, we align with our practice area White-Collar Crime

In the events industry the risk sits in the cancellation. Anyone who has settled cancellation, force majeure and fees in the contract negotiates about figures when it happens, not about the law.

• Event, tour, guest performance and booking agreements
• Cancellation risk and the pursuit or defence of claims for fees
• Liability for personal injury and damage to property at the event
• Official permits and conditions, including noise limits and the safety concept
• Event cancellation and liability cover is checked by our practice area Insurance Law

In intellectual property, speed decides. For an interim injunction many courts apply a period of about a month from knowledge. Letting it pass means losing the fast route.

• Opposition and cancellation proceedings before the DPMA and the EUIPO
• Warning letters, modified undertakings and resisting excessive contractual penalties
• Interim injunctions, including to stop infringements at trade fairs
• Infringement actions for an injunction, information and damages against counterfeiting
• Seizure of counterfeit goods at the border with the customs authorities is supported by our practice area Transport Law