Taylor Wessing
Firm overview:
Recognised by peers for its role in leading litigation cases and “for the size factor and reputation”, with one of the largest IP teams in Europe, Anglo-German full service international technology firm Taylor Wessing advises clients from a broad range of sectors. The Trademarks, Advertising and Design team helps global businesses build emerging brands and to protect the reputation of an entire brand network. The group represents international clients on the development of new products and marketing strategies and on the realisation of core assets such as trademarks, goodwill and trade secrets, as well as the protection and enforcement of rights against competitors and product pirates. The team has a longstanding focus on fashion industry clients as well as consumer products, healthcare and other sectors.
Taylor Wessing’s lawyers advise and represent clients in Germany, before the EUIPO and the European Union Courts, and internationally through 29 Taylor Wessing offices and the firm’s international network. The international filing practice manages over 75,000 live trademarks and, complementarily, on disputes the firm is regularly involved in leading decisions in trademark, design and competition law. For example, partner Christian Tenkhoff and his team successfully represented Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. in a trademark infringement action against energy drink distributors Beverage City Polska and Beverage City Deutschland. In a September 7, 2023, judgement the European Court of Justice considered exclusive distribution agreement between infringers sufficient for joint jurisdiction.
Team overview:
In Germany, Taylor Wessing has a trademarks team of eight partners led by Olaf Gillert and including Thomas Raab, Wiebke Baars and Christian Tenkoff.
Key matters:
- Taylor Wessing Düsseldorf partners Olaf Gillert, Nikolai Voss and senior associate Katrien Vanden Bosche advised Chinese car company NIO on an infringement case brought by German car maker Audi AG. Nio, the leading Chinese EV manufacturer entered the European market with “ES6” and “ES8” marks that Audi asserts infringed its well-known marks "S6" and "S8". NIO, with TikTok and Haier, is another globally expanding Chinese company, in the firm’s portfolio.
- In January 2023, the Munich Regional Court ruled in favour of Audi, citing the potential for confusion between the disputed trademarks and prohibited NIO from selling its products in Germany under the names ES6 and ES8. The Munich Higher Regional Court confirmed the lower court ruling in April 2024. NIO rebranded its SUV vehicles in Germany.
- Taylor Wessing Hamburg partner Wiebke Baars and senior associate Jelena Patzke, represented e-commerce retailer About You in various opposition proceedings defending the ABOUT YOU trademark before the DPMA and EUIPO. About You is a popular e-commerce platform headquartered in Germany, specialising in fashion and lifestyle products from a variety of brands. About You, part of the Otto Group, became Hamburg's first "Unicorn" in 2018. Otto Group is one of the world's biggest e-commerce companies with a turnover of Euro 16 billion in 2022.
Clients:
About You SE, Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. (VOGUE), Airbus SAS, Altana Group / Altana Management Services AG, AstraZeneca, Deutsche Telekom, DHL, Fujifilm, Mondelez, NIO, Phoenix Contact, Richemont Group, Roraj Trade TLLC (Fenty), Scotch Whisky Association, TikTok, Topps International (now Bazooka), UNICEF Deutschland
