Germany: Intellectual Property

The European Commission has made it clear: The timetable for implementing the Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act) remains unchanged.

On 8 May 2025, Advocate General Szpunar issued his long-awaited Opinion in two pending referrals to the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Mio and USM Haller/konektra cases...

On 20 February 2025, the German Federal Supreme Court (BGH) delivered a landmark ruling in a case concerning the copyright protection of Birkenstock sandals.

The European Commission has issued its first-ever informal approvals of two separate sustainability initiatives among rivals under its revised Informal Guidance Notice and provided guidance on how the companies...

The UPC has recently issued its first two decisions on FRAND, setting important guidelines for SEP owners and implementers.

Marken, Urheberrechte, Patente, Know-how – „IP-Rechte" aller Art sind wichtige wirtschaftliche Güter. Sollen sie nicht nur selbst genutzt, sondern auch durch Dritte...

Rapid Growth and Significant Impact: Since its start two years ago, the Unified Patent Court (UPC) has rapidly grown in case volume and significantly impacted the European and global patent landscapes...

The Düsseldorf Local Division has recently issued a decision of considerable importance in the pharmaceutical field: the first decision in the UPC system dealing with second medical use claims.

The Court can reject a new line of arguments pursuant to R. 9.2 RoP in a case where the issue has been raised from the outset and the new argument is based on completely different passages...

The German Federal Supreme Court has ruled that Google could use and display a thumbnail preview of a picture taken from an artist’s web site, because she had not sent a signal to say that she objected to this.

On 1 September 2008, the Enforcement Act ("Act") will enter into force in Germany. The most important innovations introduced by the Act are an extended right of information, a right to obtain disclosure of i.a. documents in the control of the alleged infringer of an intellectual property right, a right to recall infringing products from the channels of commerce and aright to publication of judicial decisions.

A German publisher has failed in its first attempt to stop Google scanning its books and publishing excerpts from them on the internet.