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Dr Burkhard Führmeyer LL.M.

Partner
Excellent international network, high commitment, grasps complex issues very quickly and finds solutions.
JUVE Handbook
About

Dr Burkhard Führmeyer advises national and international clients in all areas of intellectual property law. He focuses on trademark, design, copyright and unfair competition matters, primarily in the technology, life sciences, consumer goods, fashion and sports industries.

With extensive experience as a litigator, Burkhard has had significant success in enforcing intellectual property rights in complex national and cross-border litigation proceedings, including cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union. He also provides sophisticated and effective advice to clients on all aspects of intellectual property portfolio management, including trademark clearance, filing, opposition and cancellation proceedings as well as drafting and negotiating IP license and transfer agreements.

Burkhard has particular expertise in the development and enforcement of IP strategies and is extensively engaged by clients for advice on both trade secret protection and strategic aspects of IP licensing.

He has a long-standing track record advising multinational and global clients on all IP aspects of large cross-border technology, intellectual property and corporate transactions. He counsels clients on IP aspects of M&A and corporate finance transactions, addressing IP and data licenses, data privacy and information technology risks.

Professional QualificationsRechtsanwalt admitted with Rechtsanwaltskammer Frankfurt am Main, 2005

EXPERIENCE

  • Providing ongoing advice to a global technology company in trademark and unfair competition matters.
  • Representing a US medical device group in various trademark and design litigation proceedings in Germany and coordination of parallel cross border proceedings in several countries.
  • Advising and representing several companies on trade secret matters.
  • Providing ongoing advice to a leading sports company in relation to trademark, unfair competition and anti-counterfeiting matters, including customs seizures.
  • Advising several companies on research and development contracts and joint ventures.
  • Advising and representing a fashion products manufacturer on all anti-piracy matters, including customs infringement proceedings.
Languages
  • German
  • English
Education
  • Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf, Second State Examination, 2005
  • Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg, Ph.D. and LL.M., 2003
  • Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg, First State Examination, 2002

Awards & Recognitions

  • JUVE Patent 2022/2023: Frequently recommended for patents: patent litigation/lawyers; “very experienced, always calm, problem solver”, competitor
  • JUVE Handbook 2022/2023: Frequently recommended for trademark and design law as well as competition law; “experienced competition lawyer with a very practical and unagitated working method”, client; “outstanding strategist and litigation expert”, competitor
  • Legal 500 Germany 2022: Recommended for intellectual property: trade marks and unfair competition
  • Handelsblatt in cooperation with Best Lawyers 2023/2024: Recommended for intellectual property law
  • WirtschaftsWoche 2019: Highly recommended as one of the “most renowned copyright teams”

Publications

Burkhard is the co-author of the commentary Bauer/Tappen, KAGB, in which he comments on the unfair competition aspects of investment law, and the commentary Key Aspects of German Employment Law in which he comments on German employee invention law. Burkhard is also regularly published in other journals and commentaries on aspects of IP law and know-how protection, including the "Business Law Magazine, March 2017 - The Know-How Directive: Know how to prepare for its transposition".

Seminars

Burkhard is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars in the Consumer Goods, Technology and Life Sciences industries:

  • BUJ - IP Summit 2017 - Know-how Protection
  • Pharma Law Convention Vienna 2017 - Advertising & Marketing
  • Bucerius IP Conference 2016 - Enhancing and protecting brand value in the global market place
  • KnowTech Conference 2015 - IP and Know-how Protection
  • C5 Pharma Conference Berlin 2015 - Trademark enforcement in the pharma sector
  • Annual Meeting of German Criminal Counsel Association 2015 and 2016 - IP and criminal law
  • Annual Conference of German In-House Counsels 2014 - IP litigation in Germany and the US

Prior Experience

Before joining DLA Piper, Burkhard worked for a reputable IP boutique firm in Frankfurt am Main.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • German Association for Intellectual Property Rights and Unfair Competition (GRUR)
  • Licensing Executive Society Germany (LES)

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