The Olympic Games reach billions of people in more than 200 countries across the globe. That is one of the main reasons for the high degree of brand awareness with respect to all the Olympic symbols. Everybody associates those symbols with the values of the games: fairness, respect, equality, friendship, courage, inspiration and excellence. They are more than just logos! The International Olympic Committee (IOC) protects the so-called Olympic properties to prevent third parties to make an unauthorized association with the Games. All the rights of the Olympic Properties belong exclusively to the IOC. The logos are all registered - among others - under WIPO’s Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks, which shows that the IOC protects its properties with the ordinary means of trademark protection. But, they also benefit from the Nairobi Treaty, a special legal treaty, adopted in 1981 and administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The Nairobi Treaty protects the most famous symbol, the five interlocking rings that represent the coming together of the five continents. The treaty obliges every state that has ratified it to refuse the registration as a mark and to prohibit the use for commercial purposes of any sign consisting of the Olympic symbol(s) by unauthorized third parties. Source/Picture: WIPO and Olympic.org

The World Intellectual Property Organiztion (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, in conjunction with the international business school INSEAD, have just published the Global Innovation Index 2012 Report. The report ranks 141 countries and economies on the basis of their innovation capabilities and their results. The "Top 10" leaders allocated in the Global Innovation Index this year are: 1. Switzerland - 2. Sweden - 3. Singapore - 4. Finland - 5. United Kingdom - 6. Netherlands - 7. Denmark - 8. Hong Kong (China) - 9. Ireland - 10. United States of America ... and as an IP firm headquartered in Munich, Germany, we are pleased to take note of the fact that Germany  - even if not one of the top ten - at least ranks 15th.  As can be taken from the chart above (scource: WIPO) the leaders in the various regions are: Switzerland in Europe, the US in Northern America, Singapore in South East Asia and Oceania, Israel in Northern Africa and Western Asia, Chile in Latin America and the Caribbean, India in Central and Southern Asia, and Mauritius in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to WIPO and INSEAD, "the Global Innovation Index 2012 is a recognition of the key role that innovation serves as a driver of economic growth and prosperity. It is also an acknowledgement of  the need for a broad horizontal vision of innovation that is applicable to both developed and emerging economies, with the inclusion of indicators that go beyond the traditional measures of innovation (such as the level of research and development in a given country)." For more detailed information and the full report including charts, overviews and other statistics please see: http://www.wipo.int/econ_stat/en/economics/gii/

We all want to be more creative, come up with better ideas and want our organizations to be more innovative. The question is: How can we achieve these goals? Be inspired by Steven Johnson's video which gives a great insight on "WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM". Watch the video and you will get a sense and understanding what needs to be done in order to create an environment that allows good - or even great - ideas to develop.

The CTM Advisory Initiative e.V. (CTM AI) is an initiative of Munich Attorneys for promoting the knowledge of the Community trademark. The CTM Advisory Initiative consists of experienced Attorneys from Munich who have decided to promote and proliferate the knowledge of the Community trademark based upon their practical experience gained since the CTM Office opened in 1996. As a member of CTM AI e.V. we take the great pleasure to announce our upcoming talk in Munich on Thursday, July 26, 2012, regarding the new gTLDs and what impact and challenges these will have on trademark owners. The talk by our guest speaker, Sebastian Ritze, Legal Department at united domains, will be held in German. In case of interest, please feel free to send us an email to join. INVITATION IN GERMAN: ______________________________________________________________ EINLADUNG ZUM VORTRAG ______________________________________________________________ “Leitfaden für Markeninhaber im New gTLD Chaos – Schutzmechanismen. Zeitplan. Handlungsempfehlungen.”   Referent und Gastredner: Sebastian Ritze, Justiziar, united domains (Starnberg) ______________________________________________________________ Datum: Donnerstag, 26. Juli 2012 Uhrzeit: 19:00 Uhr bis ca. 20:30 Uhr Ort: Kanzlei Müller Schupfner & Partner, Bavariaring 11, 80336 München ______________________________________________________________ Bei Interesse oder Teilnahme: U.A.w.g. bis Mittwoch, 25. Juli 2012, per Email: CTMAI e.V. c/o LexDellmeier IP Law Firm: info@lexdellmeier.com

The International Trademark Association (INTA) together with united domains (Germany) will host a Roundtable on the new gTLDs: Date / Time: Thursday, 21 June 2012 - 2.00 - 4.00 pm Place: Hotel Sofitel, Munich (Germany) Topic: New Domains - Legal Rights Objections for Trademark Owners Speaker: Erik Wilbers, WIPO Registration: (free of charge) It is time for a wake-up call. One of the biggest challenges for trademark owners in the year 2012 will likely be the new Top Level Domains (so-called "new gTLDs"). Meanwhile, more than 1,200 new gTLD applicants have registered with ICANN and more than 2,000 new gTLD applications have been submitted. On 13 June 2012, ICANN plans to reveal the new gTLDs that have been applied for. After that, trademark owners will have approx. 7 months in order to object to the revealed gTLDs.  The legal rights objection procedure aims at protecting a trademarks and trademark owners. WIPO has been selected by ICANN to administer this dispute resolution procedure for all new gTLDs. Erik Wilbers, the Director of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, will present and explain in detail this rights protection mechanism in English at the INTA Roundtable held on 21 June 2012 - just one week after ICANN plans to reveal all of the applications to the public on 13 June 2012. Overview in short: Launch Schedule for new gTLDs (status: June 2012) Published with kind permission by united domains (USA and Germany) FAQ's can be found in English at the united domains website and und er the following link: http://www.uniteddomains.com/faq/newgtlds/

It is an astonishing figure - and not many people realize this: But, on average, approx. 46% of a company's value is made up and derived from trademarks - and that is one of the major reasons why companies should protect their brands - and register them. The average value differs from industry to industry. We have taken the opportunity and show the following slide with the kind permission from BRAND NETWORKS, a Munich-based company with many years of expertise in the field of brand consulting. As a brand owner, it is extremely important to understand the value of a trademark - and that and why it needs to be protected - it is one of your company's most valuable assets!

National patent case law remains important: As of May 2012 it is still not known when the EU Patent will actually come into force and when and where the EU Unified Patent Court (note: London, Paris and Munich are the "hot" candidates) will be established. The aim of creating a Unified Patent Court is not only to reduce costs, but, to have a centralized court responsible for all the cases and thereby help increase legal certainty for both applicants and defendants. In the past and until now the various national courts called upon in patent litigation cases have often rendered contradiciting decisions. This is happing less often since many of the judges from the various countries meet on a regular basis at judges symposiums and discuss and try to streamline their decisions - even though the legal parameters are to a great extent still missing. However, fact is: For the time being, patent infringment cases still have to be brought and filed before a national court. Therefore, it is of major importance to know what courts in which countries have decided on legal issues relating to patents. For this reason we take the opportunity to point out that the European Patent Office (EPO) just recently published an excellent Summary of Patent Case Law from 14 members of the EPC contracting states between the years 2004 - 2011. This almost 300 page "bible" is published in the three official languages: German, English and French. It reveals what each of the 14 national courts participating decided upon regarding, e.g. patentable inventions, novelty, inventive step, industrial applicability etc. For more information please see the following links at the EPO: EPO Introduction: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/case-law-appeals/national-patent-decisions.html EPO Patent Decision Summary 2004 - 2011: http://archive.epo.org/epo/pubs/oj012/02_12/12_spe0.pdf

The world's largest trademark conference is taking place for the 134th time - this year in Washington, DC from May 4 -8, 2012 For the 11th time now Alexandra Dellmeier-Beschorner is attending the largest trademark conference and meeting in the world. It is hosted by the International Trademark Association (INTA) of which LexDellmeier is a longstanding and supporting member. Over 10,000 trademark specialists from all over the world are attending this year's meeting being held in Washington, DC from May 4 - 8, 2012. The aim of the meeting is to primarily receive an update and insight on trademark issues from various countries around the world. The educational sessions include topics relating to trademarks - also in conjunction with anti-counterfeiting issues, domains, designs, copyrights etc. Besides that, IP specialists seize the opportunity to meet with clients, colleagues and associates from around the world to discuss open and pending cases - or just to meet in person. We believe it is extremely important to meet the people you work with in order to create or continue an excellent, reliable and trustworthy professional relationship from which all clients benefit from. Our firm, LexDellmeier IP Law Firm, is an INTA member and we support the association's activities and meetings by being on project teams and giving talks and updates on trademark laws and cases out of Germany and the EU. For more information and an overview of what is happening at the INTA conference in Washington DC between May 4 - 8, 2012 please see: http://www.inta.org/2012AM/Pages/home.aspx?utm_source=INTA.org&utm_medium=Web%2Bbanner&utm_campaign=AM12

We thought we should share this great video on BRANDING with you. It was produced in 2011 by MSc Brand Leadership team at Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia. In essence, a BRAND is a "stamp of ownership" - making people aware that it is "YOURS". But remember, in Germany, the EU as a whole (Community/EU trademarks) and in most of the EU national member states it is necessary to actually REGISTER the trademark with the responsible trademark office(s). Contrary, e.g. to the US system, mere use of a trademark does not grant protection or rights. Be careful, ask an expert, seek advice and register your BRAND.

Visionary inventors have and will continue to revolutionize our world with their outstanding ideas. Curiosity, knowledge and determination of individuals are the basis for every great innovation. As an IP boutique firm headquartered in Munich, Germany - home of the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) - we take the opportunity to help support and promote this year's IP Day. In honor of the past and future inventors, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has picked as this year's theme for the World Intellectual Property Day coming up on April 26, 2012 "Visionary Inventors" - as revealed on the official poster which we have posted here. Albert Einstein once said: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere”. From an economic point of view and with the increasing importance of knowledge as a driving force for innovation, IP rights are becoming more and more important. In the 21st century the challenges do not just include mastering economic recessions. Some of the main challenges include finding innovative solutions to significantly improve environmental protection and the use of natural resources, to secure food and health for a growing number of inhabitants on earth, et cetera. In all of these areas, human creativity, imagination and inventiveness will be essential to finding solutions for a sustainable future. If you also want to support the World IP Day, please find more and detailed information at WIPO's website including the call to join in on WIPO's Facebook page in order to share your thoughts about innovators who inspire you and to tell us about

• an innovation which has improved your life
• a visionary inventor or creator whom you admire
• an innovator in your community who has made a difference.

LexDellmeier is supporting this great event. We hope you join in, too!