Trade Secret Enforcement In Germany (Video)

The German Federal Court of Justice has delivered a landmark ruling in the decades-long "Metall auf Metall" litigation, applying the EU Court of Justice's framework to determine whether unauthorized music sampling can qualify as lawful "pastiche" under German copyright law. This decision provides crucial guidance on the boundaries between copyright protection and creative reuse in the music industry, while confirming that pastiche remains a narrowly structured exception rather than a general license to samp

The Local Division Düsseldorf of the Unified Patent Court issued an order addressing applications for protection of confidential information in patent infringement proceedings between Yangtze Memory Technologies and Micron Technology entities. The case involves European Patent EP 3 909 047 with jurisdictional implications across Germany and France under the UPC Agreement.

German utility models offer a unique pathway to intellectual property protection, providing registration within weeks rather than the years typically required for patent approval. This expedited process presents strategic advantages for innovators seeking rapid market protection in Germany's robust IP framework.

On 14 June 2016, the German Federal Court of Justice (X ZR 29/15 "Pemetrexed") confirmed prior decisions in which it held that patent infringement under the doctrine of equivalents can, in principle, not be assumed, ..

Testarossa is the name of one of the most famous Ferrari cars which was manufactured between 1984 and 1996.

An obligation to refrain from an act also requires a permanent compliance with effective measurements to ensure that the compliance is uninterrupted and permanent, R. 354.4 RoP.

Germany, as another example, also put some special legislation into place.

Effective service date for an unrepresented defendant who did not yet make an appearance in court is calculated under R. 271.6.b RoP, subject to the “unless” conditions of that rule.

Security for costs application against a claimant company established in Taiwan can be accepted as the facts provided in the case indicate that enforcing a cost decision in Taiwan...

The Situation: Surging interest in digital tokens has caught the attention of regulators in Hong Kong.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a preliminary injunction against Perplexity AI, determining that when an AI agent acts at a user's direction, it is the user—not the AI company—who "accesses" computer systems under federal and California computer fraud statutes. This landmark appellate decision addresses how existing computer-access laws apply to agentic artificial intelligence and has significant implications...

The Code is voluntary, but it will likely become an important reference point for demonstrating compliance with Article 50 of the AI Act.

China has recently taken several actions showing its commitment to counter trade restrictions imposed by other countries. In March 2025, it released regulations implementing the 2021 Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law.

On February 5, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of a defendant that had been sued by a competitor for allegedly accessing the competitor's computer systems...

The defendant argued that the CFAA does not make it a federal crime to obtain permission to use another's login credentials to access a third party's computer system.

In the January 30, 2015, Federal Register, USDA issued a final rule amending citrus fruit importation regulations to allow the importation of commercial consignments of two Unshu orange hybrids...

On October 9, the nation's first data breach class action trial began.

The Federal Circuit recently vacated a PTAB decision in Dental Monitoring SAS v. Align Technology, Inc., addressing a critical question about prior art qualification under the America Invents Act.

On August 23, 2024, the HKEx and the SFC jointly announced temporary modifications to the Hong Kong Listing Rules. These modifications, effective from September 1, 2024...