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From the idea to patent.
With us on your side.
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We are happy to be in all patent questions

On your side.

We are a Patents Law Office of many years standing that has become established in the course of since 1965 activity in the field of intellectual property rights.

From our locations Hagen, Lüdenscheid and Basel (CH), we look after our national and international clients with the most varied technical specialities in the field of commercial legal protection.

Marked by the industrial culture of the region as a central location between the Ruhr District and Sauerland, we cultivate intensive personal contact with our clients.

„Those who do not invent disappear. Those who do not patent lose.“

Erich Otto Häußer
Former President of the German Patent Office
1976-1995

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For your protection

… serve for the protection of technical inventions in the most varied specialist fields, from architecture, through construction, biology, chemistry, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, textile production, etc. to dental technology.

The patent is an officially checked protective right for a limited period for devices and processes, securing the holder a right of monopoly for the theory disclosed in the patent specification.

All major industrial countries today have patent protection. Through various international patent co-operation agreements, it is possible to obtain patent protection in most of these countries on the basis of a national, European or international patent application.

… is the permitting or granting of a defined, specific right of use of the intellectual property of another. The agreement to the granting of rights of use can take place in a separate licence agreement or also within the framework of contracts of sales, for services or otherwise. The basis for the granting of a right of use is regularly the existence of an existing right of protection.

When formulating a licence, its contents should be thoroughly clarified. Apart from determining the scope of the existing right of a holder of a right of use, and his power of disposition, the type, scope and duration of use, as well as the licence rate and its basis are to be specified exactly. Through the careful drafting of a licence agreement, later dissension can be avoided.

… The utility model, often also called a “small patent”, serves likewise for the protection of technical inventions. However, in contrast to the patent, no procedures are accessible for the protection of utility models.

Utility models are registered without a factual check, as a result of which the application procedure is clearly shortened. Therefore, in practice it represents an important and often selected instrument for the protection of industrial rights.

The utility model can in principle offer its holder the same rights as a patent. However, as it is what is known as an unexamined protective right, a careful procedure is required.

Apart from Germany, comparatively few countries have protection for registered utility models.

… serve for the protection of the symbols identifying goods and services. In this connection, it can be a matter of attached trademarks, such as pictures or words, but also identifying features, such as the form, colour or presentation of products or product packaging. Trademarks regularly represent the image of the company of origin.

Trademark protection can be applied for in practically every country in the world. Apart from a national registration, it is possible to register a European Community trademark which guarantees, more or less, protection for all EU member countries. In addition, there is the possibility of an international registration by which protection can be achieved for a large number of countries with one application.

The “maintenance of the value” of a trademark requires careful cultivation. Apart from use to maintain the right, the monitoring of possible collisions can be advisable.

… serve for the protection of the form and design of every product. The design of products (as well as their packaging!) with respect to their external appearance is a considerable competitive factor.

Highquality design is an effective instrument for enhancing products and contrasting them against the standard.Protection of registered designs includes two and three-dimensional forms, protecting e.g. perfume flacons, lamp shapes, items of clothing or also car body spare parts from imitation. Protection of registered designs can be applied for in many countries in the world. Apart from national applications, there is also the possibility of applying for a community registered design with effect for all EU member countries. In addition, a large number of countries can be reached simultaneously by means of a central application to the international organisation in Geneva WIPO/OMPI.

Optimise your product protection –
we will gladly help you to do so.

An Internet domain is an individual address in the Internet. It is made up essentially of a page designation (Second Level Domain) and a following national or type identifier (Top Level Domain, e.g. .de, .fr, .ch, .at, .eu or .com, .org, .tv, .biz, .info, .name, etc.).

The allocation of an Internet domain is made by application and registration in accordance with the principle of priority. In this connection, the principle of “first come, first served” applies.

In particular in the case of a commercial use of an Internet domain, infringements of third-party rights can occur leading to claims to desist and for damages.
The applicant for an Internet domain is obliged to check whether the domain applied for infringes any third-party rights, in particular trademark and name rights. We can carry out the search into third-party rights as well as the application for an Internet domain for you.

The proprietary right (copyright) serves for the protection of an author′s personal intellectual creation. Such creations can be both linguistic (e.g. writings, speeches as well as computer programs), musical, dancing and dramatic works, film and photographic works, as well as presentations of a scientific or technical kind (e.g. drawings, plans, maps, sketches, tables) and also instructions for operation and use, forms, photos, diagrams, sketches, as well as bound multimedia works.

The precondition is that it should be a matter of a “personal, intellectual creation” by the respective author, showing the quality of a work.

Apart from Germany, Europe and the USA, there is copyright protection in many countries in the world.

Through the copyright protection of titles, work titles, thus the names or special designations of printed works, films, sound recordings, dramatic works or other comparable works are protected. The copyright protection of a title comes into being on principle through taking up use of it, i.e. the use of a title for an existing work in business transactions. In addition, the copyright protection of titles requires an original power of designation.

The start of the use of a title is decisive for the coming into being of copyright protection of a title. However, even before the start of use, protection of the title can be effected by a notice of copyright protection of a title. However, the prerequisite for this is that the work should also appear within a reasonable period under the title. In addition, the notice of copyright protection of a title serves as documentation of the time of the start of use in a case ofcollision.

The copyright protection of a title exists nationwide, provided the title of a work does not just have a localised or regional target group.

Committed. IN SPORTS.

For our region.

EVEN MORE

Additional Services

Patents

It is often sensible in the course of monitoring to investigate into competitors′ future protective right activities.

By means of specific monitoring, monopoly rights being striven for by competitors can be recognised at an early stage and cases of collision prevented.


Your individual Patent monitoring

This will take you to your Krikkit-Login.

It is often sensible in the course of monitoring to investigate into competitors′ future protective right activities.

In this connection, for example, in the course of monitoring for collisions, a trademark can be monitored for applications by third parties for similar trademarks, or in the course of monitoring the Patent Office Journal, a patent class can be monitored for future applications for patents for a class of products.

By means of specific monitoring, monopoly rights being striven for by competitors can be recognised at an early stage and cases of collision prevented.

An Internet domain is an individual address in the Internet. It is made up essentially of a page designation (Second Level Domain) and a following national or type identifier (Top Level Domain, e.g. .de, .fr, .ch, .at, .eu or .com, .org, .tv, .biz, .info, .name, etc.).

The allocation of an Internet domain is made by application and registration in accordance with the principle of priority. In this connection, the principle of “first come, first served” applies.

In particular in the case of a commercial use of an Internet domain, infringements of third-party rights can occur leading to claims to desist and for damages. The applicant for an Internet domain is obliged to check whether the domain applied for infringes any third-party rights, in particular trademark and name rights.

We can carry out the search into third-party rights as well as the application for an Internet domain for you.

We represent our clients before

  • the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA)
  • the Federal Office of Plant Varieties (BSA)
  • the Federal Patents Court (BpatG)
  • the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) in
    proceedings for revocation of patents
  • the Austrian Patent Office *
  • the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IGE/IPI) *
  • the European Patent Office (EPO)
  • dem Europäischen Patentamt (EPA)
  • the European Office of Harmonisation for
  • the Internal Market (OHIM) and before further international organisations for the protection of proprietary rights, such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)

* Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Kötter

We regularly publish specialist articles on current topics in the field of intellectual property. You can read a collection of these monthly practical tips on the website www.mittelstand-suedwestfalen.info

KNOWLEDGE FROM PRACTICE ​

FOR THE PRACTICE

We regularly publish specialist articles on current topics in the field of intellectual property. You can read a collection of these monthly practical tips on the website www.mittelstand-suedwestfalen.info