Copyright & Brand Protection

Many models and productions need to protect themselves, their photos and their products from being used unlawfully. This is done through copyright and trademark protection. Used correctly, this prevents other people from making a commercial profit from works that they have not created themselves.

R, TM and C - what the familiar symbols mean

Three symbols regularly appear in connection with the terms copyright and trade mark protection: R, TM and C - each in a small circle or to the right above the writing. R stands for Registered Trade Mark, the internationally recognised technical term for a registered trademark for goods or services. The ® symbol indicates to the user that the product or service in question is registered in a trade mark register. This is intended to prevent other manufacturers or suppliers from marketing the same or confusingly similar goods or services. TM stands for Trade Mark. It can be used for both registered and unregistered trademarks and has the same purpose as the R symbol: to protect the trade mark or the goods and services. Finally, C stands for copyright. It protects the author or rights holder of a work or product against the unlawful reproduction and use of their tangible or intangible product by third parties.

Prevention of unlawful use - this is what copyright is for

Copyright does not have to be registered. It arises automatically through the creation of a work - such as a photo, song or show production. As the creator of a work, you are not obliged to attach a corresponding copyright notice, precisely because the copyrights already exist without further ado. If a third party uses a work with copyrights (recognisable by the notice "All rights reserved"), there is a risk of consequences.

Trademark protection - what is it?

Similar to copyright, trademark protection is primarily intended to monopolise the use of a product, good or service. Apart from the owner of the trade mark rights, no other person has the right to pass off the trade mark, product or service as their own and subsequently use it commercially. A trademark is registered at national level, e.g. via the DPMA (German Patent and Trade Mark Office) or in Europe at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). By registering a trade mark, you protect yourself against unlawful use. On the other hand, registration as a trade mark also helps you to position yourself on the market and to retain customers for you and your products.

Well-known brands at home and abroad

There are numerous examples of successful trade mark protection. In principle, you can assume that every major company and brand, from Nike to Nutella, is registered as a trade mark. Accordingly, starboxx® is also registered as a European trade mark with the EUIPO.

What does it cost to register a trademark in Germany?

Copyright is free of charge as no registration is required. The situation is different for trade mark protection. Registration at the DPMA costs €300 (regardless of whether it is a word mark, figurative mark or other trade mark).