Patents

The patent attorneys at Kroher Strobel understand your technical inventions and assist you in obtaining patent protection at every step – starting with drafting and filing a patent application, and continuing through the entire granting procedure at the competent patent offices.

In addition, our attorneys have extensive experience in representing clients in adversarial proceedings before patent offices. This is particularly valuable in opposition or nullity proceedings, when the validity of an existing patent is reviewed. Furthermore, we can prepare you for making commercial decisions by rendering freedom-to-operate opinions. And we represent you in court if a legal dispute becomes unavoidable.

What is our range of activity? We represent clients in patent matters before the European Patent Office (EPO), the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), the Federal Patent Court (BPatG) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Together with our international network we also assist you in obtaining and enforcing patent rights outside of Europe.

Patent monitoring, searches and translations round out the patent law portfolio of our firm. Kroher Strobel patent attorneys are especially versed in technology for special machinery, medical engineering, telecommunications, IT, electrical engineering, measurement techno­logy, electronics, software, renewable energies, packaging technology, textile techno­logy, materials processing, applied physics, chemistry, pharma and biotechnology.

Trademarks

We advise you in all matters involving trade­marks, company or domain names, or other distinctive signs. Whether you require legal advice in finding a trade­mark, assessing the risk of collision or creating and managing your trademark portfolio – we provide you with comprehensive and strategic assistance. Trademark searches and collision monitoring are equally important aspects of our services.

We personally file and prosecute your German, international and EU trademarks. Our interna­tional network ensures that your trademarks are also quickly registered abroad and properly managed. Furthermore, we file opposition, cancellation and revocation actions for you or represent you in domain disputes.

The lawyers at Kroher Strobel also assist you in infringement proceedings and in settling disputes out of court. We draft and negotiate delimitation and coexistence agreements for you or assist you in negotiating license agreements.

We work together with customs officials to combat product piracy and coordinate border seizures.

Designs

Our attorneys are committed to providing you comprehensive advice in all issues of design law. We register your designs in Germany, Europe and internationally. Our extensive professional network also enables us to register your designs abroad at short notice.

As a prior step to filing a design, we offer our experience in selecting the most suitable images to ensure that all features of your design are clearly discernible and the broadest protection possible is achieved.

Further services related to designs include cancellation proceedings as well as infringe­ment litigation – which we have successfully conducted in a variety of cases.

Infringement

We assist you in all types of infringement disputes and litigation. Whether you wish to enforce your patent, trademark and design rights or respond to infringement claims, we offer the entire range of possible action – from warning letters to seizures by customs officials, preliminary injunctions and, ultimately, infringement actions. We also support you in achieving an amicable solution in every phase of a dispute.

Our lawyers always exercise prudence and objectivity in all of their work. Our advice is transparent, honest and timely. Furthermore, we inform you of the opportunities, risks and costs involved in the available options, and make every effort to achieve your preferred solution.

Our scope: we represent clients in infringement proceedings before all German regional courts and higher regional courts, as well as in proceedings before the European Court of Justice. In addition, we are globally networked, and can draw on the expertise of carefully selected and trusted colleagues to also enforce the rights of our clients abroad.

Unfair Competition and Copyright

In the area of competition law, disputes are usually focused on misleading advertising or illegal comparative advertising. It is not always easy to assess what is admissible under competition law. We therefore take every opportunity to advise our clients on strategy before they develop an advertising concept.

Our lawyers have broad experience in unfair competition law and can provide expert advice on selecting the right means for swiftly and effectively enforcing your claims. In doing so, we always take a multidisciplinary approach, with a view to other legal areas – which is particularly important for competition law protection against unfair copying.

We also provide advice on copyright issues to right holders and individuals in the creative industry. Our core competency in this area includes drafting license agreements, strategic advice, measures against copyright infringe­ment – either in court or out of court – and defense against third-party infringement claims.

We advise clients on competition law and copyright in domestic and international matters. Our international network enables us to provide quick responses to questions beyond our domestic jurisdiction.