We help you protect your IP rights

Copyright generally helps protect literary and artistic works. Examples of literary or artistic works include books, blog posts, paintings, furniture, photographs, etc.

When you create a literary or artistic work, you are automatically protected by copyright law. You do not need to apply to register your work. Others may not copy, perform or display your work without your permission.

A trademark is a distinctive sign that serves two purposes. First and foremost, it distinguishes your company’s products and services from those of your competitors. Secondly, and just as importantly, it makes your company visible to customers and enables them to identify your company. There are many different types of trademarks. A trademark can consist of words, slogans, personal names, company names, figures, sounds, smells, colours, a combination of elements or specially designed packaging.

If you wish to register your trademark, you must submit an application defining the products or services for which your trademark is to be registered. However, you should also be forward-thinking when registering. If you have ambitions and expectations that your business will expand and that the trademark will be marketed for several product types in the near future, you should also include these product types in your registration.

Furthermore, it is important to consider in which countries you want the trademark to be registered. If your company operates exclusively on the Danish market, national registration may be sufficient.

However, if you wish to operate in several markets, you should consider registration under international or EU law.
Focus Advokater can help you make the right choices so that your business is better positioned and stronger in the future. Our IPR experts can help with preliminary investigations and determine whether there is ‘freedom to operate’ in the markets where your business wants to produce, sell and market your trademark. We also help prepare your trademark application so that your company obtains the right protection.

For many companies, their brand is their most valuable asset. The success and growth of your company can depend largely on a strong brand, which is why it is important to protect it. An effective way to secure your company and your brand is to protect it with a trademark registration.

Registering your company’s trademark can show investors that your company has financial potential and can give investors confidence in their investment. Furthermore, a trademark registration is a good investment for when you want to sell your trademark or your company. That way, you can earn money from your idea.

A design is the appearance or shape of a product and can be, for example, furniture, tools, electronics and similar items.

By registering your design, you can protect it from being copied and prevent others from using a similar design. With a design registration, you are in a much stronger position in a dispute over whether others are infringing your product’s design, and you will also enjoy financial benefits if you choose to license or resell your design.

A design registration protects the actual appearance/design of your product, including lines, contours, colours, shape and structure.

In order for your design to be protected by registration:

• It must be new and have individual character, which means that your design must be different from the design of other known products.
• Your design can be protected if no similar design has been published previously.
   

Focus Advokater’s team of IPR specialists are ready to work with you to develop the best strategy for protecting your company’s design rights. If you wish to register your design, we will be happy to help you submit an application illustrating your design. A design registration is valid for up to 5 years from the date of submission of the design application and can be renewed every 5 years, up to a maximum of 25 years.

We offer professional and legal advice in areas such as agreements concerning the exploitation and/or transfer of rights, agreements on copyright to works created by the company’s employees, freelance agreements, licence agreements, franchise agreements, agreements with advertising agencies, litigation concerning product copying and product piracy, and litigation concerning infringement of IP rights.

It can be a costly and time-consuming process if you do not actively assert your rights against any infringement at an early stage. It is therefore necessary to keep an eye on whether others are using your trademark and/or using a trademark that is confusingly similar to yours.

Focus Advokater offers monitoring services tailored to your company’s needs. Monitoring provides your company with systematic information about new registrations that may be confused with your company’s trademark. This allows you to decide at an early stage in the process whether it is necessary to object to new registrations.