We are a law and patent office specialising in Intellectual Property Law. Our services are highly sought after particularly in this area, especially when industrial property law matters, such as Trade Marks and Patents. We also provide advice and representation in general Commercial Law and Civil Law matters.
Formally we are incorporated as a public commercial company of attorneys and we thus provide legal advice according to the Act no. 85/1996 Coll., on Attorneys, as amended. This means that the clients are assured that they will be provided with best available advice by qualified and registered practitioners, that their matters will be maintained confidential, and that we will not act against their interests. We have a team of more than 40 experts in industrial property law, including more than 15 attorneys at law and five patent attorneys. We have been active since 1990 and in that time we have acquired invaluable in-house knowledge that is not available to less specialised firms. We have been awarded numerous domestic and international industry awards and we are recognised locally and internationally as one of the leading IP firms in the Czech Republic. Our clients are local and international firms, often leaders in their respective fields, however, we regularly assist small and medium enterprises, start-ups. We act pro bono where this serves to assist the community.We are also active in Slovakia.
What we do
We provide advice and representation in all areas of the law. We specialise in Intellectual Property Law. In the specialist field of Industrial Property we carry out availability searches, we prosecute applications of patents, utility models, trade marks, designations of origin and geographical indications, semiconductor topographies, including the preparation of the necessary materials. We directly represent clients before the Czech industrial Property Office, the Slovak Industrial Property Office, the European Patent Office in Munich and before the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks, Designs) in Alicante, as well as before the World Intellectual Property Office in Geneva. In other jurisdictions we cooperate with an established network of similarly specialised offices. We assist clients in obtaining Industrial Property protection worldwide. We prepare strategies for obtaining industrial property protection, as well as estimates of budgets. We manage and maintain portfolios of existing industrial property rights. We represent clients in disputes involving Industrial Property rights, especially in declaratory proceedings and invalidity proceedings before the Industrial Property Office. In the Czech Republic and in Slovakia we also provide representation before the courts in cases of infringement of Intellectual Property and Industrial Property rights, in Unfair Competition matters, and in Civil and Commercial litigation.Summary
- We represent clients before administrative courts and the Constitutional Court of the Czech and Slovak Republics;
- We represent clients before European courts and the European Court of Human Rights;
- We represent clients in administrative proceedings, before the Czech Competition Authority (UOHS) and before the Advertising Council (Rada pro reklamu);
- We represent clients before the courts in civil and commercial disputes;
- We draft and review Licence Agreements and other legal agreements;
- We provide legal opinions and memoranda.
Intellectual Property Law
Patents, Utility Models, Industrial Designs, Trade Marks, Designation of Origin and Geographical Indications, Semiconductor Topographies as well as Copyright and related rights, are all part of Intellectual Property Law. In a wider sense Unfair Competition and Trade Name protection can also be included. With over 20 years of experience we have become one of the leaders in this highly specialised area of law in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We have advised and represented the leading international companies from fields as diverse as telecommunication, IT, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, chemical companies as well as banks. We regularly handle the most prominent IP litigation in patent and trademark matters, both in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia.Industrial Property Rights
Intellectual Property Rights which are subject to registration with the Industrial Property Office, or a similar office abroad or internationally, are termed Industrial Property Rights. Patents, Utility Models, Industrial Designs and Trademarks are prime examples. We provide advice, assistance and representation in achieving legal protection and then maintain and enforce the rights once registered. We can prosecute complex applications for protection, maintain vast portfolios of rights, and then effectively enforce these in both the Czech Republic, Slovakia and internationally.Inventions – Patents, Utility Models
Technical solutions that are novel, have an industrial application, and their creation was preceded by specified levels of creative efforts, can qualify for protection via either a Patent or a Utility Model. To achieve such protection the technical innovation must be registered with the Czech Industrial Property Office, or a similar foreign or international body. Our team of highly experienced patent attorneys assist in drafting applications, pursuing their registration through the relevant Office and then with the assistance of our attorneys at law enforce obtained rights if infringement occurs. Our experienced team of paralegals assist clients with administrative matters, such as filing simple applications, paying maintenance fees, registering licences and other formalities.Brand Protection/Trade Marks
Brands are signs such as words, logos, symbols, pictures and other signs, which are used in trade to differentiate the goods of a particular business from those of another. Legal protection for similar signs is provided primarily in the form of Trade Marks. Registered Trade Marks must be recorded with the Industrial Property Office, or an equivalent foreign or international institution. In certain circumstances unregistered signs can be protected by the law. We have a dedicated team of paralegals and attorneys at law who assist clients all the way from the creation of a registerable brand, through the registration process all the way to the maintenance of the right once granted and its enforcement.Designs
Designs (Industrial Designs in Czech) protect the aesthetic/outward appearance of a product or its part. Registered designs must be recorded with the Czech Industrial Property Office, or the Office for Harmonisation In the Internal Market. Unregistered designs can also achieve protection in certain circumstances. Our patent attorneys assist in prosecution of applications for Czech Industrial Designs as well as for (European) Community Designs. Our attorneys then assist in enforcing these before the courts if required.