Intellectual Property
Our IP Team, which has grown steadily since the 1990s, comprises some of Switzerland’s leading intellectual property law lawyers, covering all aspects of patent, know-how, trademark, copyright, design and unfair competition law. This includes clarifying the noninfringement of third-party rights, management of worldwide IP portfolios, exploitation and enforcement of intellectual property rights and defense against infringement allegations, both out of court and before state courts and arbitratral tribunals. Our well experienced team has the specialised expertise and human resources to help our Swiss and foreign clients succeed. We typically work in an international context. We follow the important legal, economic and technical developments in Switzerland and worldwide and often help shape them. Innovative companies, whether small, medium-sized or large, usually either have us on their side or as an opponent.
Our team offers you access to experts especially in these areas:
Our team represents and advises international and Swiss clients in all fields of trademark and design law.
MoreMLL’s long-standing and widely respected copyright and media team has specialised expertise concerning issues of copyright and media law in addition to in-depth knowledge of new media and related technologies.
MoreThe legal field of protected geographical indications has massively gained in significance in recent years.
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“The work is always at the highest level and the results can be put into practice in the best possible way”
Publications
Patent Litigation 2023 Switzerland – Trends and Developments
Chambers and Partners, Global Practice Guides, Patent Litigation 2023, 01 March 2023- EN
Study Questions and Answers on Moral Rights
Report of the webinar about Study Questions and Answers by AIPPI Swiss Group 2022, 24 November 2022- EN
SQ282 Moral Rights
Video and presentation of Reinhard Oertli, Moderator at AIPPI Swiss Group Webinar about Study Questions and Resolutions 2022, 24 November 2022- EN
The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides 2022 – Switzerland: Patent Litigation
The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides 2022, November 2022- EN
Firm News
Simon Holzer | Who’s Who Legal | Thought Leader Global Elite 2023
11 practice groups ranked in the Chambers Europe Edition 2023
MLL Legal presents its new Management Committee
Our IP Team is again ranked Gold in the WTR 1000 Guide 2023
8th LESI YMC Pan-American Conference on 24 February 2023
News Portal
NFTs and Trademarks – What You Need to Know
«NFT» seem to be the word of the hour. Everyone wants NFTs, many are creating NFTs, some are buying and trading NFTs, few are getting rich off NFTs and even fewer know what an NFT really is. Currently, «The Merge»-NFT is the most expensive NFT ever traded – it was purchased for more than 91 million USD. However, NFTs are a much talked about topic not only because of their sometimes-astronomical purchase prices, but also because several legal disputes have already arisen in connection with NFTs – including over intellectual property rights. We tell you what you need to know, what you need to keep in mind and which questions are currently still unanswered with regard specially to trademark law.
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Little-Known Pitfall in Application for Paediatric Extensions or Paediatric SPCs
When filing applications for paediatric extensions and paediatric SPCs in Switzerland, it must be kept in mind that Switzerland is not a member state of the European Union and thus has a separate and independent system when it comes to the approval of medicinal products. Paediatric extensions and paediatric SPCs are only granted in Switzerland based on respective Swiss marketing authorizations issued by the competent authority Swissmedic. The relevant provisions in the Swiss Patent Act provide for some very particular conditions that the respective marketing authorizations must meet in order to serve as a basis for the grant of a paediatric extension or paediatric SPC. Those conditions are unique to Switzerland and therefore little-known abroad.
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The Shape of the VW Bulli – A trademark? A trademark!
The First Board of Appeal at EUIPO has ruled that the shape of the VW Bus (commonly referred to as «Bulli»), the cult van of Volkswagen («VW») is protectable as a 3D trademark and shall be registered accordingly as a European trademark (Decision of the First Board of Appeal at EUIPO of 29 November 2021, case no. R 2421/2020-1).
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LexCast: Happy New Year From the MLL NexGen Incubator – Find Out What 2022 Has in Store for You!
As 2021 draws to an end MLL looks forward to 2022 and wonders what it holds. Listen to our specialists from across our offices talking about what legal trends they see coming in the year ahead.
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The Capsule Saga Comes to an End – Swiss Federal Tribunal Denies Trademark Protection to Nespresso Capsules
The Swiss Federal Tribunal has ruled that the shape of the Nespresso capsules is technically necessary and that Nestlé’s 3D trademark shall therefore be cancelled (decision 4A_61/2021 of 7 September 2021).
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