Anja Ruge studied law at the University of Münster, the University of Aix-en Provence, and the University of Göttingen. Her doctorate thesis dealt with legal issues related to the use of slave laborers during the National Socialism in Germany. She obtained her Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in Cape Town, South Africa.Anja Ruge started her professional career working for the German Parliament followed by a long-term employment as a senior associate in the practice group intellectual property, media, and technology in the Munich office of an international law firm. She then worked as an in-house lawyer in the legal department of a Munich telecommunication company. Her area of competence was intellectual property law, litigation, and contracts.Anja Ruge is member of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR) and the International Trademark Association (INTA).