Current news

COVID-19 Update: German PTO (DPMA) dated March 18, 2020

Time limits in all ongoing intellectual property rights procedures which were granted by the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) will be extended until 4 May 2020 and/or decisions will not be taken by then on the basis of the expiry date. No separate notices of the extensions shall be made. In addition, the DPMA will continue to generously determine the deadlines to be set on the official side in line with the situation.

Update regarding COVID-19 and operations at Kuhnen & Wacker

As we continue to monitor the current COVID-19 situation in Germany and globally, we would like to update you on Kuhnen & Wacker operation business.

At the present time, Kuhnen & Wacker is operating business as usual and we will continue to attend to client needs.
Moreover, we have respective contingency plans in place for any disruption that may occur in our firm.

At Kuhnen & Wacker, the health and safety of our staff and their families are our priority, so we have implemented additional measures to help reduce the spread of the virus.
In addition, should any of our staff be required to work remotely, we have a secure IT system in place to ensure business continuity.

Situation with the Patent Offices:

• The European patent office (EPO) announced that time limits expiring on or after March 15, 2020 are extended for all parties and their representatives to 17 April 2020. In accordance with Article 150(2) EPC this applies also for international applications under the PCT. The above period may be further extended by the publication of another notice if the dislocation extends beyond the aforementioned date.
  For more information, please see here. 
• The German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) informed recently that in response to the corona situation all time limits set by the Office are generally extendable by request. However, legally determined (statutory) time limits are, in principle, not extendable. However, a Restitution-in-Integrum (Reinstatement) could be requested which is then decided on a case-by-case basis.
  For more information, please see here.
• The EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office responsible for managing the EU trade mark and the registered Community design) has taken a similar measure. The Executive Director of the EUIPO announced that they would be "extending all time limits expiring between 9 March and 30 April, that affect all parties before the Office to 1 May 2020".
  For more information, please see here. 

UP&UPC – Decision of German Constitutional Court expected on Friday

Regarding the long-awaited decision of the German Constitutional Court concerning the Constitutional Complaint against the UPC Agreement, please be informed that the decision is expected to be published on Friday, March 20, 2020.

https://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/EN/Presse/Senatsbeschl%C3%BCsse/Senatsbeschl%C3%BCsse.html;jsessionid=3F1665F39DA2076FD92F3EAE0F0103CF.1_cid394

We welcome the recommendation of WTR 1000*

"From filings and renewals to pre-dispute counselling and litigation, Kuhnen & Wacker impresses with the quality of its work at every turn. Handling more than 4,500 active files, the team communicates clearly and precisely at all times. Clients are always kept informed of any updates and receive the perfect level of advice. It is not just the set that garners effusive praise from all corners of the market, practice head Christian Thomas does too. Extremely trustworthy and reliable, Christian delivers top-notch results. He is responsive and to the point, as well as being great fun to work with. An excellent lawyer, he partners well with companies that have international ambitions."

*WTR 1000 is the world's only independent multimedia publication dedicated exclusively to reporting on trademark issues for in-house and private practitioners internationally.

30th European Intellectual Property Seminar Freising

This year our seminar will take place from October 4 to 8, 2020. More details will follow.

We welcome in our team

We are pleased to announce that after Patent Attorney Jürgen Oberdorfer has joined our firm in the course of last year, Patent Attorney Stephan Spranger has become a member of our team as of January 1, 2020, as we continue to increase our team of highly qualified attorneys.