glossary

Legal expertise
Legal expertise and experience required for legal advice and representation in intellectual property law.

Employee law
Special regulations concerning the relationship between employees and employers in the case of business inventions.

Design Attorney
Specialized attorney for design protection, in particular for the registration, enforcement and defense of design rights.

Design protection
Legal protection for the external appearance of a product, e.g. shape, color or pattern, by registering a design.

Dr.-Ing.
Academic degree of an engineer with a doctorate – relevant for the technical qualification of patent attorneys.

Opposition proceedings
Procedure for contesting a granted patent or a registered trademark within a certain period of time.

Inventor law
Legal regulations on the recognition and remuneration of inventors, in particular in relation to the employer.

Initial consultation
Non-binding, initial consultation for the legal assessment of a matter in the field of intellectual property rights.

European Patent Attorney
Authorized representative before the European Patent Office who advises and represents clients in European patent proceedings.

European Trademark Attorney
Representative authorized to represent clients before the EUIPO in trademark and design law at European level.

Intellectual property
Intangible assets such as inventions, trademarks or designs that are legally protected by intellectual property rights.

Industrial property rights
Area of law for the protection of technical and creative innovations as well as business identifiers, e.g. patents, trademarks, designs.

Expert opinion
Expert assessment by a patent attorney on questions of intellectual property rights, infringement or protectability.

IP Management
Strategic management of intellectual property to secure, utilize and exploit intangible company assets.

Competencies
Professional and personal skills and qualifications that a patent attorney brings to the table – both in the technical and legal fields – in order to advise and represent clients comprehensively.

Clients
Clients of a law firm who are legally advised and represented in matters of intellectual property.

Trademark name
Unmistakable designation of a product or company that can be protected under trademark law.

Trademark law
Area of law that regulates the protection of trademarks, logos and business identifiers in order to ensure distinctiveness and recognition value.

M.Sc./Dipl.-Ing.
Academic titles in engineering or the natural sciences which underpin the technical competence of a patent attorney.

Nullity proceedings
Legal proceedings for the retroactive removal of an IP right, e.g. if it was wrongly granted.

Patent
A technical property right that protects an invention for a maximum of 20 years and grants the owner the sole right of use – after successful examination by a patent office.

Patent attorney
Legally and technically qualified advisor for patents, trademarks and designs with power of representation before offices such as the DPMA or EPO.

Examination procedure
Procedures at offices such as the DPMA or EPO for the substantive and formal examination of IP applications.

Search
Targeted review of existing property rights to avoid collisions and to assess protectability.

Legal texts
Legally correct texts such as general terms and conditions, data protection declarations or contracts that are individually created and legally checked.

Fonts
In the context of industrial property rights: Typographic designs that may be protected by design protection or copyright.

Property right
General term for legally protected intellectual property, e.g. patents, trademarks or designs.

International property rights
International property rights, e.g. via the PCT system or the Madrid Agreement, secure rights beyond national borders.

Technical skills
Specialist knowledge and experience in the field of technology and engineering, particularly relevant for the drafting and assessment of technical property rights such as patents.

Infringement proceedings
Legal proceedings in the event of unauthorized use of an existing property right, e.g. through a warning or lawsuit.

Contract law
Legal regulations relating to the drafting, review and enforcement of contracts, particularly in the area of licenses and property rights.

Agreements
Contractual arrangements, e.g. for the use, transfer or licensing of property rights.