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MarkenG (EN)

Act on the Protection of Trade Marks and other Signs
MarkenG-EN · official text on Gesetze im Internet — official English translation

🇩🇪 Auf Deutsch lesen (original text)

This is the German Federal Ministry of Justice's own official English translation, by Brian Duffett und Neil Mussett. Translation revised by the Language Service of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office. The German original linked above is the legally authoritative text.

Sections

Part 1 Scope

• Section 1 — Protected trade marks and other signs
• Section 2 — Application of other provisions

Part 2 Preconditions, scope and restrictions of the protection of trade marks and commercial designations, transfer and licence

Chapter 1 Trade marks and commercial designations, precedence and seniority

• Section 3 — Signs eligible for protection as trade marks
• Section 4 — Accrual of trade mark protection
• Section 5 — Commercial designations
• Section 6 — Precedence and seniority

Chapter 2 Prerequisites for the protection of trade marks by means of registration

• Section 7 — Proprietorship
• Section 8 — Absolute grounds for refusal
• Section 9 — Trade marks that have been filed or registered as relative grounds for refusal
• Section 10 — Well-known marks
• Section 11 — Trade mark registered for an agent
• Section 12 — Earlier trade marks and commercial designations acquired by virtue of use
• Section 13 — Other earlier rights

Chapter 3 Scope of protection, infringements of rights

• Section 14 — Exclusive right of the proprietor of a trade mark, claim for injunctive relief, compensation claim
• Section 14a — Goods under Customs Surveillance
• Section 15 — Exclusive right of the proprietor of a commercial designation, claim for injunctive relief, compensation claim
• Section 16 — Reproduction of a registered trade mark in reference works
• Section 17 — Rights against agents or representatives
• Section 18 — Destruction and recall rights
• Section 19 — Right to information
• Section 19a — Claims for production and inspection
• Section 19b — Securing compensation claims
• Section 19c — Publication of judgments
• Section 19d — Claims under other statutory provisions

Chapter 4 Restrictions of protection

• Section 20 — Limitation
• Section 21 — Forfeiting of rights
• Section 22 — Exclusion of rights if the registration of a later trade mark is definitive
• Section 23 — Use of names and descriptive indications, spare parts business
• Section 24 — Exhaustion
• Section 25 — Exclusion of rights for non-use
• Section 26 — Use of the trade mark

Chapter 5 Trade marks as objects of property

• Section 27 — Transfer
• Section 28 — Presumption of proprietorship of the right, service on the proprietor
• Section 29 — Rights in rem, levy of execution, insolvency proceedings
• Section 30 — Licences
• Section 31 — Trade marks applied for

Part 3 Proceedings in the course of trade mark matters

Chapter 1 Registration proceedings

• Section 32 — Requirements concerning the application
• Section 33 — Date of filing, right to registration, publication of the application
• Section 34 — Foreign priority
• Section 35 — Exhibition priority
• Section 36 — Examination of the conditions of filing
• Section 37 — Examination for absolute grounds for refusal; observations by third parties
• Section 38 — Accelerated examination
• Section 39 — Withdrawal, restriction and correction of the application
• Section 40 — Division of the application
• Section 41 — Registration, publication and trade mark information
• Section 42 — Opposition
• Section 43 — Objection of insufficient use, decision on the opposition
• Section 44 — Action for the grant of registration

Chapter 2 Correction, division, duration of protection and renewal

• Section 45 — Correction of the Register and of publications
• Section 46 — Division of the registration
• Section 47 — Duration of protection and renewal

Chapter 3 Surrender, revocation and invalidity proceedings

• Section 48 — Surrender
• Section 49 — Revocation
• Section 50 — Invalidity because of absolute grounds for refusal
• Section 51 — Invalidity because of the existence of earlier rights
• Section 52 — Consequences of revocation or invalidity
• Section 53 — Revocation and invalidity proceedings before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office
• Section 54 — Intervention in revocation and invalidity proceedings
• Section 55 — Revocation and invalidity proceedings before the courts of ordinary jurisdiction

Chapter 4 General provisions for the procedures before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office

• Section 56 — Competences in the German Patent and Trade Mark Office
• Section 57 — Exclusion and objection
• Section 58 — Opinions
• Section 59 — Ascertaining the facts, right to be heard
• Section 60 — Investigations, hearings, minutes
• Section 61 — Decisions, instructions on appellate remedy
• Section 62 — Inspection of files, inspection of the Register
• Section 62a — Data protection
• Section 63 — Costs of the proceedings
• Section 64 — Special motion (Erinnerung)
• Section 64a — Costs arrangements in the proceedings before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office
• Section 65 — Authorisation to issue statutory instruments
• Section 65a — Administrative cooperation

Chapter 5 Proceedings before the Federal Patent Court

• Section 66 — Appeal
• Section 67 — Boards of Appeal, public nature of the hearing
• Section 68 — Participation of the President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office
• Section 69 — Oral proceedings
• Section 70 — Decision on the appeal
• Section 71 — Costs of the appeal proceedings
• Section 72 — Exclusion and objection
• Section 73 — Investigation of the facts, preparation of the oral hearing
• Section 74 — Taking of evidence
• Section 75 — Summonses
• Section 76 — Course of the proceedings
• Section 77 — Minutes
• Section 78 — Assessment of evidence, legal right to be heard
• Section 79 — Delivery, notification, grounds
• Section 80 — Corrections
• Section 81 — Representation, power of attorney
• Section 81a — Legal aid
• Section 82 — Application of further provisions, contestability, inspection of files

Chapter 6 Proceedings before the Federal Court of Justice

• Section 83 — Appeals on points of law allowed and those not needing to be allowed
• Section 84 — Entitlement to lodge an appeal, grounds for appeal
• Section 85 — Formal prerequisites
• Section 86 — Examination of admissibility
• Section 87 — Several parties
• Section 88 — Application of further provisions
• Section 89 — Decision on the appeal on points of law
• Section 89a — Remedy in case of an infringement of the right to be heard
• Section 90 — Ruling on costs

Chapter 7 Joint provisions

• Section 91 — Re-establishment of rights
• Section 91a — Further treatment of the application
• Section 92 — Obligation to tell the truth
• Section 93 — Official language and court language
• Section 93a — Compensation of witnesses, remuneration of expert witnesses
• Section 94 — Service, authorisation to issue statutory instruments
• Section 95 — Judicial assistance
• Section 95a — Electronic conduct of proceedings, authorisation to issue statutory instruments
• Section 96 — Domestic representative
• Section 96a — Legal protection in case of excessively long court proceedings

Part 4 Collective marks

• Section 97 — Collective marks
• Section 98 — Proprietorship
• Section 99 — Eligibility for registration of indications of geographical origin as collective marks
• Section 100 — Restrictions of protection, use
• Section 101 — Right of action, compensation
• Section 102 — Regulations governing use of the collective mark
• Section 103 — Examination of the application
• Section 104 — Amendment of the regulations governing use of the collective mark
• Section 105 — Revocation
• Section 106 — Invalidity because of absolute grounds for refusal

Part 5 Certification marks

• Section 106a — Certification marks
• Section 106b — Proprietorship and genuine use
• Section 106c — Right of action, compensation
• Section 106d — Regulations governing use of the certification mark
• Section 106e — Examination of the application
• Section 106f — Amendment of the regulations governing use of the certification mark
• Section 106g — Revocation
• Section 106h — Invalidity because of absolute grounds for refusal

Part 6 Protection of trade marks in accordance with the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement; European Union trade marks

Chapter 1 Protection of trade marks in accordance with the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement

• Section 107 — Application of the provisions of this Act; languages
• Section 108 — Application for international registration
• Section 109 — Fees
• Section 110 — Note in the files, entry in the Register
• Section 111 — Subsequent extension of protection
• Section 112 — Effect of the international registration and the subsequent extension of protection
• Section 113 — Examination for absolute grounds for refusal
• Section 114 — Opposition against an international registration
• Section 115 — Invalidation
• Section 116 — Opposition because of an international registration and application or action for a declaration of invalidity because of an international registration
• Section 117 — Exclusion of rights for non-use
• Section 118 — Transformation of an international registration

Chapter 2 European Union trade marks

• Section 119 — Application of the provisions of this Act
• Section 120 — Subsequent determination of the invalidity (Ungültigkeit) of a trade mark
• Section 121 — Conversion of European Union trade marks
• Section 122 — European Union trade mark disputes; European Union trade mark courts
• Section 123 — Communication to the European Commission
• Section 124 — Territorial jurisdiction of the European Union trade mark courts
• Section 125 — Insolvency proceedings
• Section 125a — Order for enforcement

Part 7 Indications of geographical origin

Chapter 1 Protection of indications of geographical origin

• Section 126 — Names, indications or signs protected as indications of geographical origin
• Section 127 — Scope of protection
• Section 128 — Rights because of infringement
• Section 129 — Lapse

Chapter 2 Protection of geographical indications and designations of origin in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

• Section 130 — Proceedings before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office; national opposition proceedings
• Section 131 — Intergovernmental opposition procedure
• Section 132 — Request for a change to the specification, cancellation proceedings
• Section 133 — Appellate remedies
• Section 134 — Supervision
• Section 135 — Rights because of infringement
• Section 136 — Lapse

Chapter 3 Authorisation to issue statutory instruments

• Section 137 — More detailed provisions on the protection of individual indications of geographical origin
• Section 138 — Other provisions for the proceedings in applications and oppositions in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012
• Section 139 — Provisions transposing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012; authorisation to issue statutory instruments

Part 8 Sign litigation proceedings

• Section 140 — Sign litigation
• Section 141 — Place of jurisdiction for claims under this Act and under the Act Against Unfair Competition
• Section 142 — Reduction of the value in dispute

Part 9 Criminal and regulatory fine regulations, seizure on import and export

Chapter 1 Criminal and regulatory fine regulations

• Section 143 — Punishable infringement of signs
• Section 143a — Punishable infringement of a European Union trade mark
• Section 144 — Punishable use of indications of geographical origin
• Section 145 — Provisions relating to regulatory fines

Chapter 2 Seizure of goods on import and export

• Section 146 — Seizure in case of infringements of rights to signs
• Section 147 — Confiscation, opposition, suspension of seizure
• Section 148 — Competences, appellate remedies
• Section 149 — Compensation in case of unjustified seizure
• Section 150 — Proceedings in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 608/2013
• Section 151 — Proceedings in accordance with German law with regard to indications of geographical origin

Part 10 Transitional provisions

• Section 152 — Application of this Act
• Section 153 — Restrictions for the assertion of infringement claims
• Section 154 — Rights in rem, levy of execution, bankruptcy proceedings
• Section 155 — Licences
• Section 156 — Cancellation of a registered trade mark because of absolute grounds for refusal
• Section 157 — Cancellation of a registered trade mark because of the existence of earlier rights
• Section 158 — Transitional provisions
• Section 159 — Duration of protection and renewal
• Section 164