Grünecker

Firm overview:

“An excellent firm with a strong team, with excellent trademark experience,” note peers. With more than 30 attorneys-at-law, respected law firm Grünecker has one of the largest trademark teams in Germany. The firm represents clients in over 500 trademark disputes per year in all industries, often in a cross-border context and also coordinates trademark disputes for US clients throughout the EU. Companies such as Google, Harley-Davidson, Lyft, and, increasingly, Microsoft use the firm’s services and network.

The team is experienced in border seizures and carries out about 500 per year. Grunecker conducts between 400 and 500 trademark searches per year and files more than 450 European Union trademarks and more than 120 German trademarks annually. The team handles national foreign applications for its clients with colleagues from its worldwide network. Peers say the firm is a good counterpoint on client matters: “We have had a couple of issues with them and they are normally very pragmatic, you can talk with them and make reasonable deals. We had a litigation with them on an online platform and rather than issue a cease and desist we were able to resolve the disagreement on the use of filters.”

Team overview:

Grünecker has a trademarks team of seven partners and 28 other lawyers. Highlighted as outstanding by peers on the other side in litigations, Maximilian Kinkeldey has some of the world’s most valuable brands among his clients such as fashion brands like Armani and renowned German market leaders. Highly recommended Holger Gauss advises clients from various industries such as WeWork, Posockets, Schwan Stabilo, Lyft, Fenix Outdoor (Fjällräven), along with  US clients from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, and luxury brands like Bulgari. Anja Franke advises clients from the medical sector such as and as well as from the automotive sector such as and from the green technology sector. She is very well connected in Japan, China and throughout Europe. Rechtsanwältin Cosima Oldenburg is also recommended.

Key matters:

• Grünecker (Nicolás Schmitz, Anne-Kathrin Hofmann, Christina Grammer) filed a worldwide trademark for “Check24” and has been defending the client’s group of companies in the car rental and shopping area. The assignment in new areas of law shows the trust placed in Grünecker.
• Grünecker has represented Google for over 20 years throughout Germany and the EU in trademark prosecution and enforcement matters.  Led by Cornelia Schmitt and Eva Büchner the firm continuously handles oppositions at the EUIPO based on the well-known marks GOOGLE, YOUTUBE and ANDROID. The work includes numerous opposition, cancellation and domain name proceedings. The mandate is an example of Cornelia Schmitt’s advice to US technology companies.
• Grünecker annually completes more than 50 EUTM filings for US tech companies such as Monolith Materials Inc, Skydance Animation, LLC and Pfenex Inc, with a focus on pharma, biotech and medical devices. The firm has expanded its client base in the fintech sector and continued expansion of its US client base, particularly in the pharma and biotech sectors. Grünecker assisted Upside Foods with its market entry in Europe.

Clients:

Google, Harley-Davidson, Lyft, Check 24, Harman, Check24, Hermès and Christian Louboutin, Marc Cain, Hermès, Harley Davidson, Christian Louboutin, Happybrush and Orcan Energy AG. Bulgari