Intellectual property law
Intellectual property law (IP) principally concerns inventions, designs and distinctive signs in a wide range of fields that you wish to protect against unauthorised exploitation by third parties. Our intellectual property lawyer advises and conducts proceedings concerning the enforcement and exploitation of:
- copyright
- databases rights
- trade name rights
- plant variety rights
- trade mark
- design rights
- patent rights
When should you instruct an intellectual property lawyer?
You may instruct an intellectual property lawyer to help protect and defend your creations, trade marks or inventions. An intellectual property lawyer can also assist you if you are wrongly accused of plagiarism, copying or infringing another party’s rights. And if you want to know how you can generate income from your creation, please contact us as well.
Our intellectual property expertise
Copyright
Many people associate copyright primarily with rights in written texts. However, copyright protects much more than that. In addition, almost every creator of a text, painting, computer program or design automatically acquires copyright. No further action is required.
If you own copyright, you can determine what happens to your work: Who may copy your text? Who may use your design or logo? Who may modify your computer program? And so on.
Our intellectual property lawyer can provide comprehensive advice and assistance in copyright matters.
- When do you have copyright?
- What should you do if someone copies your work?
- How can you protect or transfer copyright?
- And what can you do if you are accused of copyright infringement?
And did you know that many individuals and companies own copyright without even realising it?
Trademark law
A strong trade mark is of enormous economic importance to many companies, organisations and other institutions. A trade mark makes your product distinctive and recognisable. Protecting a trade mark is therefore very important.
Important questions in trade mark law include:
- When does a sign qualify as a trade mark?
- In which countries can I register my trade mark?
- For which products (goods) is a trade mark protected?
- What can I do if someone copies my trade mark?
- When do I lose rights in a trade mark?
You only acquire trade mark rights once your trade mark has been filed with, for example, the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property, sometimes also referred to as the Trade Marks Office.
Would you like to know more? Instruct a trade mark lawyer to take action to stop this.
Patent law
Patent law is specifically designed to promote progress and innovation. It provides protection when you have invented something new. A patent is an exclusive property right in an invention relating to a technical product or process. It gives you a form of monopoly over your invention.
A patent can be obtained at both national and European level.
An invention is eligible for a patent if the following four conditions are met:
- It must be an invention;
- The invention must be new;
- It must involve an inventive step;
- It must be susceptible of industrial application.
what our clients say about us
Ernst guided us exceptionally well through a complex and time-sensitive matter. As the discussion became increasingly drawn out by references to software licences and other objections, he remained focused on the core issue: ensuring that the agreements reached were honoured. He acted swiftly, opted for summary proceedings at the appropriate moment, and maintained a clear overview and firm control throughout the entire process. It was precisely that combination of decisiveness and focus that gave us great confidence. Read more.
Matthy and Harjo were very pleasant to work with and responded rapidly to changes. Thanks in part to their expertise and strategic advice, we were able to resolve the dispute and achieve a very satisfactory result.
Olympus Nederland
Why choose an intellectual property lawyer?
Our intellectual property lawyer provides comprehensive support with IP-related issues and court proceedings. Where necessary, he works with external specialists such as trade mark and design attorneys and investigation agencies.
He has in-depth knowledge of intellectual property law. He also works closely with our corporate lawyers and specialists in public procurement law and competition law.
You have a single point of contact who will work with you to tailor the approach to your case to your wishes and your organisation. He combines specialist knowledge with appropriate and carefully considered steps, taken at the right time.
Contact us for an initial discussion
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Intellectual property law
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