On July 4 and 5, 2025, this year’s seminar on intellectual property rights took place on the premises of the ITM. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Jochen Bühling, lawyer from Düsseldorf and proven expert in the field of intellectual property law, the seminar offered an intensive examination of current issues in intellectual property law.
A total of twelve lectures dealt with central topics of trademark, patent, design and unfair competition law. The focus was not only on traditional issues such as the forfeiture of claims or the protection of trade secrets, but also on highly topical developments – for example in the field of environmental advertising or the use of artificial intelligence in patent law.
There were particularly lively discussions on topics such as
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the legal implications of so-called “FRAND declarations” for standard-essential patents,
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current case law on advertising with environmental claims against the background of new European legislation,
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and the question of the extent to which trademarks can be used to express political opinions – a topic at the interface between trademark law and constitutional law.
The seminar not only offered the opportunity for in-depth specialist knowledge, but also promoted a collegial exchange between the participants. The high quality of the contributions and the lively discussions once again showed how important and lively the debate on intellectual property issues is at the ITM.
The ITM would like to thank Prof. Dr. Bühling for leading the seminar and looks forward to continuing this valuable format in the coming year.
