Trademark protection in Germany: the bar for apps is set higher

German legislation and case law are traditionally very generous on the protection of titles of products containing immaterial goods (works)—in particular, newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV programmes broadcasting news information. The names of these media products are protected when they are used in business, irrespective of whether they are registered as a trademark. Further, the level of distinctiveness required for protection is lower than that for the registration of trademarks.