Dr. Volker Schmitz-Fohrmann, MJur (Oxford)

2. June 2022/in Munich Designs, Domains, Licensing, Product Piracy, Trade Marks, Unfair Competition

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Dr. Volker Schmitz-Fohrmann, MJur (Oxford)

Attorney at Law (Germany)

Contact

Pettenkoferstraße 22
80336 Munich
Germany

T +49 (89) 55 96 80
F +49 (89) 55 96 85 090

Volker Schmitz-Fohrmann focuses on clearance searches and strategic advice regarding the development, maintenance, and enforcement of trade mark portfolios. He also has an important litigation practice in trade mark design and unfair competition matters. Furthermore, he handles anti-counterfeiting work for his clients. His clients include German medium-sized companies as well as multinational corporations. He is also the attorney responsible for the BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT office in Paris.

Legal areas

Volker Schmitz-Fohrmann studied law at the University of Munich, at the European Institute of the University of Geneva, and at St. John’s College, Oxford. He worked as a research associate at the Humboldt University of Berlin. As a scholarship holder, he obtained his doctorate working on the effects of the free movement of goods on national unfair competition law.

Volker Schmitz-Fohrmann regularly gives presentations about German trade mark law in Germany and abroad. He is a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Munich. He is co-author of the Manual of Intellectual Property of the Internet, Fromm/Nordemann: Commentary on German Copyright Act, as well as Götting/Nordemann: Commentary on German Act against Unfair Competition.

The JUVE Manual 2019/2020 recommends him in the category “Trade Mark & Competition Law.” Legal 500 Germany 2015/2016 counts him among recommended lawyers in Trade Mark Law who often represents his clients before the courts.

In the 2018 edition of WTR 1000 he is praised for his “Tremendous theoretical knowledge,” and in the Who’s Who Legal Trademarks 2018, he is named as “one of the best” trade mark lawyers in Germany.

Volker Schmitz-Fohrmann is member of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), the Association des Praticiens du droit des marques et des modèles (APRAM), and the International Trademark Association (INTA) for which he has served on various committees.

Further information about Dr. Volker Schmitz-Fohrmann

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University lectureships

Munich University of Applied Sciences
Digital Technology Management: Intellectual Property Rights and Legal Environment

Dr. Florian Schwab, LL.M., Lic en droit

2. June 2022/in Munich Designs, Product Piracy, Trade Marks, Unfair Competition

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Dr. Florian Schwab, LL.M., Lic en droit

Attorney at Law (Germany)

Contact

Pettenkoferstraße 22
80336 Munich
Germany

T +49 (89) 55 96 80
F +49 (89) 55 96 85 090

Florian Schwab focuses on trade mark, design, and unfair competition law. He advises trade mark clients concerning filing strategy, oversees trade mark application procedures, and manages numerous extensive trade mark portfolios. He is strongly involved in combating product piracy, specifically in the context of customs seizure, and bringing infringement proceedings in court. Florian Schwab represents trade mark owners from a wide range of industries before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, German courts, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, as well as before the European courts.

Legal areas

Florian Schwab studied law at the University of Vienna, the University of Passau, the University of Tours (licence en droit international public), and the University of Munich. He obtained the degree of Masters of Laws in European law at the University of Durham (Great Britain) and wrote his doctoral thesis on EU law analyzing European Court of Justice case law on the principle of proportionality. Since 1998, he has practiced in the field of intellectual property rights, and has worked for BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT since 2001.He has been a regular contributor to the World Trademark Review and World Trademark Review Daily journals for many years as well as to German law journals. Florian Schwab is co-author of Götting/Nordemann “Commenting on German Act against Unfair Competition” as well as Achenbach/Ransiek/Rönnau “Manual on Comercial Criminal Law” (Chapter on Combating Product Piracy).2020 editions of WTR 1000 ranks him among the important trademark attorneys in Germany, emphasizing, “He knows what the client wants – and provides clear and practical advice”, “as well as building productive filing strategies, Schwab has a nose for hunting down counterfeits.” (2021 edition). Handelsblatt/Best Lawyers International has listed Dr. Schwab among “Germany’s Best Lawyers” in the field of intellectual property in its annual recommendations since 2013. In the 2021 edition of Who’s Who Legal Germany, Florian Schwab is named in the field of trademarks among the nearly 80 leading trademark attorneys in Germany listed there.He is a German delegate of the European Communities Trade Mark Association’s (ECTA) “Anti Counterfeiting Committee”. Florian Schwab is also a member of the ECTA, the Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual (ASIPI), the International Trademark Association (INTA), the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), the Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI), the Association des Praticiens du Droit des Marques et des Modèles (APRAM) and the UNION.

Further information about Dr. Florian Schwab

HB_Dtld_Beste_Anwaelte2022_Dr_Florian_Schwab

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Dr. Carl-Richard Haarmann

2. June 2022/in Dusseldorf, Munich, Shanghai Designs, Licensing, Patent Litigation, Product Piracy, Trade Marks, Unfair Competition

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Dr. Carl-Richard Haarmann

Attorney at Law (Germany)

Contact

Pettenkoferstraße 22
80336 Munich
Germany

T +49 (89) 55 96 80
F +49 (89) 55 96 85 090

Jägerhofstraße 21
40479 Dusseldorf
Germany

T +49 (211) 71 17 00
F +49 (211) 71 17 017

1 Fuxing Zhong Lu, Suite 1208
200021 Shanghai
China

T +86 (21) 6391 9290
F +86 (21) 6391 9295

Carl-Richard Haarmann focuses on infringement proceedings in patent and trade mark law, and on trade mark portfolio management.He studied law in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Leuven, and Münster. He spent part of the period of his studies in Canada and South Africa. His dissertation dealt with particular aspects of contract law.

Legal areas

Carl-Richard Haarmann has been practising law at BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT since 1997. His work as a partner comprises the management of trade mark portfolios of international companies as well as medium-sized companies. Additionally, he represents clients in German and cross-border infringement proceedings not only in patent law but also in trademark law. He is also comprehensively involved in licensing law.

Carl-Richard Haarmann is a visiting lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Munich and guest professor at the Graduate School of Material Science of the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Carl-Richard Haarmann has also been appointed visiting professor at the Xiangtan University, PR China, and visiting faculty at the National Law University Delhi, India.

BEST LAWYERS again lists Carl-Richard Haarmann among the best lawyers in Germany in 2021 and LEGAL 500 Germany 2021 highlights his activities in the areas of trade mark and competition law for the fourth time in a row and thus repeatedly ranks him among the lawyers recommended by Legal 500. Dr. Haarmann was also awarded the “Trade mark star 2021” by Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars.

Carl-Richard Haarmann is a member of the Munich and Dusseldorf Bar Association, the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), the International Association of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), the International Trademark Association (INTA), the Licensing Executives Society Deutsche Landesgruppe e.V. (LES), the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI), and the European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA).

Further information about Dr. Carl-Richard Haarmann

HB_Dtld_Beste_Anwaelte2022_Dr_Carl_Richard_Haarmann

Recent publications

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University lectureships

Munich University of Applied Sciences
Digital Technology Management: Intellectual Property Rights and Legal Environment

Dr. Michael Rüberg, LL.M. (London)

2. June 2022/in Dusseldorf, Munich, Paris Copyright, Designs, Employee Inventions, Licensing, Patent Litigation, Product Piracy, Unfair Competition

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Dr. Michael Rüberg, LL.M. (London)

Attorney at Law (Germany)
Certified IP Lawyer

Contact

Pettenkoferstraße 22
80336 Munich
Germany

T +49 (89) 55 96 80
F +49 (89) 55 96 85 090

Jägerhofstraße 21
40479 Dusseldorf
Germany

T +49 (211) 71 17 00
F +49 (211) 71 17 017

10 Avenue Kléber
75116 Paris
France

T +33 (1) 5603 6591
F +33 (1) 5603 6594

Michael Rüberg focuses on patent infringement proceedings. He is representing his clients in all German patent infringement courts and, in cooperation with patent attorneys from all technical fields, in parallel invalidity proceedings at the Federal Patent Court and the European Patent Office. Michael Rüberg is frequently involved in the coordination of cross-border patent infringement disputes, both contentious and non-contentious. Another focus of his work is on the strategic counselling against product piracy. In addition, he provides legal advice on licensing issues, technology transfer, and employee inventions, as well as on copyright and unfair competition.

Legal areas

Michael Rüberg studied law at the University of Bochum and the University of Munster. After graduation, he earned his doctorate in law at the Institute of Media Law, University of Cologne, on a subject related to digital copyright under German and UK Law. He holds a Master of Law degree from renowned King’s College, London, specialized on intellectual and industrial property rights.Before becoming a partner with BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT, Michael Rüberg was active as an in-house counsel and group leader in the patent and trade mark’s department of BMW AG in Munich. Previously, he worked as an attorney at law in the patent litigation group of a leading international law firm in Dusseldorf. He therefore combines distinct experience as an attorney at law, patent litigator, and in-house counsel, to provide clients with an integrated and business-oriented approach to their legal needs.Michael Rüberg frequently lectures on topics related to patent litigation both in Germany and abroad. In 2016, he has been appointed visiting professor at the Xiangtan University, PR China. Also in 2016, he has been named a global fellow of the Federal Circuit Bar Association, Washington D.C., US.Legal500 Deutschland 2015/2016 has placed particular emphasis on his work in the field of patent litigation and mentions his “utmost professionalism” and “business-minded approach.” In 2016, he has been included in the IAM listing of the 1000 leading patent practitioners worldwide.He is a member of the Munich and Dusseldorf Bar Association, the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), the Association of Intellectual Property Experts (VPP), the Licensing Executives Society (LES), and the International Association of Intellectual Property (AIPPI). He frequently publishes on various topic of intellectual property law.

Further information about Dr. Michael Rüberg

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Florian Malescha

2. June 2022/in Munich Data Protection, Designs, Employee Inventions, Patent Litigation, Patent Valuation, Patents and Utility Models, Product Piracy, Unfair Competition Electrical, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Software / IT

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Florian Malescha

German Patent Attorney
European Patent Attorney
European Trade Mark and Design Attorney
M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering

Contact

Pettenkoferstraße 22
80336 Munich
Germany

T +49 (89) 55 96 80
F +49 (89) 55 96 85 090

Florian Malescha advises numerous German and international clients in all matters of patent and design law, ranging from questions of employee invention law and the identification of objects of protection to examination proceedings in front of the German and international patent offices, the strategic development and sustained maintenance of complex patent portfolios as well as the defence and enforcement of intellectual property rights in patent litigation, nullity and opposition proceedings and the performance of freedom-to-operate analyses.

Legal areas

Industries

His main areas of expertise include advising and assisting clients as well as building and maintaining competitive patent portfolios in all areas of traditional mechanical engineering, automotive technology, process technology, aerospace technology, production technology, in particular generative manufacturing technology, robotics and AI, and energy technology.Florian Malescha studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). In addition to his training as a patent attorney, he gained extensive practical experience in several research and development departments of leading companies in the automotive and mechanical engineering industries in Germany and Singapore.Florian Malescha joined BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT in 2014 and has been a partner since 2021.He is a member of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR) and the Association of European Patent Attorneys (UNION-IP).

Malte Nentwig, LL.M.

2. June 2022/in Bremen Anti-Trust, Copyright, Designs, Domains, Information Technology, Licensing, Product Piracy, Trade Marks, Unfair Competition

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Malte Nentwig, LL.M.

Attorney at Law (Germany)
Certified IP Lawyer

Contact

Hollerallee 32
28209 Bremen
Germany

T +49 (421) 340 90
F +49 (421) 349 17 68

Malte Nentwig provides advice in trade mark law. This includes, in particular, strategic advice on how to develop suitable trade mark portfolios. He has a strong focus on German as well as international trade mark searches. For his German and international clients, he is responsible for the filing of trade marks at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, the European Intellectual Property Office, and the World Intellectual Property Office, as well the coordination of worldwide applications abroad.

Legal areas

Malte Nentwig has longstanding experience in the maintenance of international trade mark portfolios, including watching services for the detection of potential infringement. He advises on how to protect, strengthen, and enforce trade marks. For his clients, he files opposition against infringing third parties and he acts as a litigator in trade mark infringement procedures.In matters of design patent law, he advises clients on how to obtain protection and how to enforce design patents. In competition law matters, he advises clients in relation to their planned marketing as well as product campaigns, and is also acting as a litigator in court procedures, including requests for preliminary injunctions.Malte Nentwig studied law at the University of Kiel and the University of Munich, Germany, as well as the University of Queensland, Australia (LL.M.). Malte Nentwig joined BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT in 2004 and made a secondment with an international blue chip company. As a German lawyer, he was awarded “Fachanwalt für den Gewerblichen Rechtschutz” (Specialist in IP Law).Malte Nentwig is the co-author of the chapter on patent law in the practitioners guide “Achenbach/Ransiek/Rönnau Handbuch Wirtschaftsstrafrecht,” as well as co-author (with Prof. Heinz Goddar) of the German chapter in “Manual IP, Kluver Law International”.Malte Nentwig serves on the expert IP-Committee for the Bar Association Hanseatische Rechtsanwaltskammer Bremen. He is a member of the Design Committee at the International Trademark Association (INTA) and an Overseas Member of Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) as well as of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand (IPSANZ).Since 2018, Malte Nentwig has been listed as a recommended lawyer in the practice area of intellectual property law for Germany by Best Lawyers.

Further Information about Malte Nentwig

hb_dtld_beste_anwaelte2021_malte_nentwig

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WTR-Interview

Malte Nentwig in WTR-interview as well as in interview about Brexit in WIPR

Silke Freund

2. June 2022/in Munich Copyright, Licensing, Product Piracy, Trade Marks, Unfair Competition

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Silke Freund

Attorney at Law (Germany)

Contact

Pettenkoferstraße 22
80336 Munich
Germany

T +49 (89) 55 96 80
F +49 (89) 55 96 85 090

Silke Freund focuses on the contentious – sometimes cross-border – enforcement of trade marks or the defense against asserted infringement claims of third parties. She also supports clients in their worldwide trade mark portfolio management in the filing, assignment, and licencing of trade marks as well as opposition, appeal, and cancellation proceedings before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (GPTO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

Legal areas

In addition, she supports clients in their worldwide trademark portfolio management, in the application, transfer and licensing of trademarks as well as in opposition, appeal and cancellation proceedings before the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

Silke Freund also advises on the admissibility of marketing and advertising campaigns as well as on the litigious enforcement of and defense against claims based on the Unfair Competition Act (UWG) including its ancillary laws. In the area of copyright law, her main practice areas include the extrajudicial and contentious defense of copyrights, ancillary copyrights and rights of use. She is also regularly active in the area of the law of statements as well as word and image reporting, and there in particular with regard to aspects of the general right of personality.

Silke Freund studied law at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn. She also completed additional training in information, telecommunications and media law at the Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster.

Before joining BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT in 2013, she had been working in renowned law firms and major international law firms specializing in media law, copyright law and trademark law in Munich since 2002.

Silke Freund regularly lectures on media and trademark law topics and is co-author of the Handbuch des Persönlichkeitsrechts (ed.: Götting/Schertz/Seitz, C.H. Beck Verlag, 2008; 2nd ed. 2019).

Silke Freund is a member of the Association of European Trade Mark Owners (MARQUES) and the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR).

Further information about Silke Freund

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Dr. Rudolf Böckenholt, LL.M.

2. June 2022/in Bremen Copyright, Designs, Licensing, Patent Litigation, Product Piracy, Trade Marks, Unfair Competition Creative Industries

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Dr. Rudolf Böckenholt, LL.M.

Attorney at Law (Germany)
Certified IP Lawyer

Contact

Hollerallee 32
28209 Bremen
Germany

T +49 (421) 340 90
F +49 (421) 349 17 68

Rudolf Böckenholt focuses on trade mark and unfair competition matters. His work in developing intellectual property portfolios is accompanied by enforcing such rights, be it in infringement proceedings, border seizure matters, or in permanent market monitoring and investigations. He predominantly consults medium-sized and large international clients in the areas of media, consumer products, food and pharma. Rudolf Böckenholt often advises in cases where IP rights overlap or intersect, and in neighboring pharma and food law. He is also active in contentious matters concerning technical property rights, with a focus on mechanical engineering.

Legal areas

Industries

Creative Industries

Rudolf Böckenholt studied law and English law at the University of Münster with a focus on intellectual property law. Subsequently, he obtained a Magister Legum (LL.M.) in international intellectual property law after study visits at the School of Law, University of Exeter (UK), the Technical University of Dresden and the German Patent and Trademark Office. His doctoral dissertation at the University of Münster concerns the distinction between copyright and trademark law.

Rudolf Böckenholt has been with BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT since 2001. He was admitted to the bar in 2005 and became a certified IP Lawyer in 2008.

Since 2009, he regularly contributes to the peer-reviewed law journal GRUR-Prax, discussing recent German and European Supreme Court decisions. He is the author of commentaries on trademark and competition law, in particular in the Münchener Anwaltshandbuch – Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz, including the 6th edition published in 2022, and in the English-language commentary on the EU Trademark Regulation. Currently, he authors a chapter about protection and enforcement of names and trade marks around Real Estate objects and projects in the Attorneys’ Handbook on Real Estate Management, published in 2021.

The JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms has ranked him among the recommended attorneys in the category of trademark and competition law for years, and considers him to be a “very clever mind” and a “smart strategist”. In LEGAL 500 (Germany and EMEA), he is included as a consultant who, “due to his vast experience, manages to pursue the most efficient strategy for the client” and “achieves excellent results through his realistic assessments”. Handelsblatt has ranked him among “Germany’s Best Lawyers” in the field of intellectual property since 2017, Best Lawyers since 2018. He is regularly included in the “Kanzleimonitor”, an empirical study of the German Association of Corporate Lawyers (BUJ).

He is an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA), Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA), Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group (PTMG), the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), the Scientific Society for Food Law (WGfL) and a number of other professional organizations in intellectual property.

Further information about Dr. Rudolf Böckenholt

HB_Dtld_Beste_Anwaelte2022_Dr_Rudolf_Boeckenholt

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Peter Gross, LL.M. (Aberdeen)

2. June 2022/in Munich Anti-Trust, Copyright, Designs, Domains, Employee Inventions, Licensing, Patent Litigation, Patents and Utility Models, Product Piracy, Trade Marks, Unfair Competition Creative Industries

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Peter Gross, LL.M. (Aberdeen)

Attorney at Law (Germany)
Certified IP Lawyer

Contact

Pettenkoferstraße 22
80336 Munich
Germany

T +49 (89) 55 96 80
F +49 (89) 55 96 85 090

Peter Gross has focused his activities on the development of trade mark strategies, and he is very experienced in the defense and enforcement of intellectual property rights within Germany and abroad.The owners of large trade mark portfolios as well as companies who are at the early stages of setting up their trade mark and IP rights find him to be a competent legal advisor.

Legal areas

Industries

Creative Industries

Furthermore, he conducts infringement proceedings in patent, trade mark, competition and design law matters. He also has a great deal of experience in the field of sales and distribution of me-too products.

His clients value the fact that he not only focuses on the legal issues, but that he also focuses on developing a clear and practical approach with regard to how legal problems can be settled as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible. He never loses sight of the economic consequences of a proposed solution in infringement proceedings, so it is not uncommon that preference is given to a pragmatic approach instead of a lengthy judicial dispute.

After having completed his studies in law at the University of Regensburg, he spent one year at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, on a postgraduate course as an ERASMUS scholar where he obtained his Masters of Law (LL.M.) degree. In addition, he worked as a research associate from 1998 to 2003 at the University of the German Federal Armed Forces, Munich, at the Institute for Comparative Business Law, Technology Law, and Procurement Law.

Peter Gross began his legal career in 2001 in a patent law firm where he built up and expanded the legal side of the practice. After being partner there for five years, he joined the Munich office of BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT.

He is co-author of the practice handbook “Intellectual Property in the Food Industry”. Peter Gross is recommended in the Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars Handbook 2015 and in “WTR 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals 2019”. He is also repeatedly recognized as a “Best Lawyer” 2023 by the trade publisher Best Lawyers.

Peter Gross is a member of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), the International Trademark Association (INTA), the German Bar Association (DAV), the German-Turkish Lawyers Association, and the Munich Bar Association.

Dr. Martin Schaefer

2. June 2022/in Berlin Copyright, Designs, Employee Inventions, Licensing, Patent Litigation, Patent Valuation, Patents and Utility Models, Product Piracy, Unfair Competition Creative Industries

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Dr. Martin Schäfer

Attorney at Law (Germany)

Contact

Kurfürstendamm 185
10707 Berlin
Germany

T +49 (30) 23 60 76 70
F +49 (30) 23 60 76 721

Martin Schaefer works primarily in the field of intellectual property, including copyright contract law. He is especially active in the fields of music, literature, visual arts, science, software, and games). Music industry matters and collective and individual administration of rights form a key part of his work. This includes, in particular, the law concerning collecting societies (e.g. in GEMA and ZPÜ matters) and agencies. He also frequently advises on matters involving provider liability, privacy law (data protection), electronic media law, and trade mark law.

Legal areas

Industries

Creative Industries

His client base includes numerous companies as well as associations from the media and music industry. He supports them in setting up IP strategies and represents them before courts and the arbitration board for copyright disputes. He also advises them on the protection of their interests in copyright policy and on the development of forward-looking industry projects related to intellectual property law.Martin Schaefer is a member of the advisory board of the German Music Archive at the German National Library, an elected member of the board of ALAI Germany and an elected member of GRUR’s Copyright Committee. He is co-chairman of the International Chapter of the Copyright Society of the USA, a lecturer at MIPLC and a senior trustee of the Karl Foerster Foundation.Martin Schaefer is also co-author of the copyright commentary “Fromm/Nordemann”, “Wandtke/Bullinger: Praxiskommentar zum Urheberrecht” and “Moser/Scheuermann: Handbuch der Musikwirtschaft”. He is also the author or co-author of various monographs and numerous articles, especially on copyright issues.The JUVE Handbuch Wirtschaftskanzleien 2021/22 (JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms 2021/22) lists him as a renowned attorney for copyright advice, showing his skill in both political and strategic issues. Dr. Martin Schaefer is also highlighted as a “leading attorney” for the legal field of intellectual property in the Kanzleimonitor 2021/22 and the trade magazine WirtschaftsWoche names him “TOP Anwalt 2021” (TOP attorney 2021) in the copyright law category in its current ranking.

Further information to Dr. Martin Schäfer

HB_Dtld_Beste_Anwaelte2022_Dr_Martin_Schaefer

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