Lawyer specializing in trademark law
Frankfurt am Main

Tailor-made advice

Never trust a mass-market approach to legal matters that doesn't address your case individually, because you certainly won't receive optimal advice.

Only with tailored advice and representation can the best possible results be achieved for you, which is why I focus on individual advice for my clients in my law firm.

Effective Expertise

Are you looking for results-oriented legal advice that will represent you quickly and effectively?

Then you've come to the right place at Renz Recht. I specialize in intellectual property law and IT law.

Competent. Transparent. Precise.

Strong successes

Do you want to operate successfully in the market in the long term? Choose legal advice that will provide you with dedicated and in-depth professional support in positioning your company for long-term sustainability and future security.

Let's be passionate about your cause and celebrate great successes together.

What is a brand?

A trademark serves to distinguish the goods and services of one company from those of a competitor. A trademark can be protected in the form of a logo, a name, a company name, or a string of characters. Trademark rights are also referred to as intellectual property.

Registering a trademark grants the owner monopoly rights. This is comparable to ownership of an object. The trademark owner can prohibit third parties from using their trademark for the registered goods and/or services in commercial transactions.

The most common types of trademarks include:

• wordmarks
• Word/figurative marks
• figurative marks
• Sound marks and color marks

The owner of such a trademark can do whatever they want with the trademark, use it, license it or sell it.

What do I, as a trademark lawyer, examine?

As a trademark lawyer, I will first assist you in reviewing your planned trademark application.

Above all, a careful examination of the trademark's registrability and a trademark search are necessary. This is because the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), for example, does not check whether the trademark infringes the intellectual property rights of third parties. Such grounds for refusal are also called relative grounds for refusal.

A trademark lawyer checks:

• The existence of absolute obstacles to protection
• The conflict of relative barriers to protection

A trademark lawyer can advise you:

• When searching for the appropriate brand type / brand strategy
• When drawing up a list of goods and services

Click here for trademark registration at a fixed price

Using someone else's trademark without authorization can quickly become expensive. In trademark cases, the amount in dispute is rarely less than €50,000. This is often due to the significant economic interest in preserving the trademark.

The primary focus of enforcement is the claim for injunctive relief. This is asserted out of court in the form of a cease-and-desist letter. Such letters rarely announce themselves in advance, and those receiving them are often caught off guard. Not every cease-and-desist letter is justified; those affected are usually unable to properly assess this themselves. Legal advice is therefore essential, as both the recipient and the sender of the cease-and-desist letter can make mistakes that can quickly become very costly.

Trademark infringement warning – What is it?

A cease-and-desist letter serves to assert the right to injunctive relief out of court. This right generally arises from Sections 14 and 15 of the German Trademark Act (MarkenG). A wide variety of infringing acts are possible. For example, the infringement could consist of advertising a product or selling products.

The trademark owner sends a cease-and-desist letter to the infringer, informing them of the infringement. They usually set a very short deadline, as trademark matters are generally urgent. The owner demands a legally binding declaration to refrain from further infringement and often also requests information from the alleged infringer. In addition, they demand reimbursement of legal fees and/or damages.

Anyone who receives a legitimate warning letter must bear the costs. Therefore, it's always important to carefully examine whether the warning letter was justified.

Action against trademark infringements

Is your trademark being infringed? As a trademark owner, you have the right and the obligation to take action against infringements. I will support you in consistently enforcing your rights – out of court or in court.

A trademark license agreement allows the transfer of usage rights. The trademark owner can thus permit others to use their mark. The scope of the transferred rights should be precisely defined.

For example, the contract specifies:

• Trademark owners/licensors and licensees
• Information about the trademark, legal status, registration number, etc.
• Protected goods and services, subject matter of the contract
• License type (exclusive or simple)
• Limitations of a spatial, temporal and content nature
• Quality standards
• License fees
• Confidentiality clauses

As a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and IT law, I understand the importance of considering each case individually, rather than the increasing prevalence of mass-produced cases. Particularly in the area of trademark law, I have witnessed throughout my career the dramatic impact that detailed trademark management can have on a company's long-term success.

Early in my career, I realized how important a good and strong brand is for economic success and developed a deep fascination for so-called brand love.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that a good idea is enough, but the right marketing tools are needed to establish it in the long term and sustainably. One and the same product can be perceived and received differently simply because of the brand and the corresponding strategy.

Linking your brand with both your personality and your passion, and protecting it so that it will be successful in the long term, is a matter close to my heart and the reason for my successful career.

My qualifications:

• Working as a consultant and as a litigator
• Extensive consulting experience in the field of new media
• Work in IT law, IT contract law
• Focus on eCommerce and Intellectual Property
• Certified data protection officer
• Long-standing experience as a lecturer in the field of IT law and intellectual property law
• Foreign languages: English, French
• Member of the GRUR
• Member of the IP-Coster-Network

The law firm Renz Recht has its main office in Saarbrücken and a branch office in Frankfurt am Main. From there, clients throughout Germany and beyond are advised.

Frankfurt am Main is a major economic hub characterized by high dynamism and international competition. Those who want to succeed here need more than just good ideas – they need legal certainty and a partner who consistently represents their interests.

As your trademark lawyer, I offer you individual advice, sound expertise and the unconditional will to strengthen and protect your brand.

Let's work together for your success.