HORAK · PATENT ATTORNEYS & ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Protect the idea.
Build the right portfolio.
Patent applications and intellectual property advice for Germany, Europe and international markets. From the first invention disclosure to prosecution, licensing and disputes, we connect the legal strategy with your product and business objectives.
Germany
DPMA patent and utility model applications, trade marks and designs. A focused starting point for the German market.
Europe
EPO prosecution, validation and unitary effect, alongside EU trade marks and designs. Choose coverage around your markets.
International
PCT, Madrid and Hague filing strategies with coordinated national and regional steps. International applications require territorial choices.
What would you like to protect or resolve?
Select a practical starting point. Each guide explains the key decisions, the documents to prepare and three practical examples. You will find a separate enquiry form for each service, with all fields optional.
01 / IP SERVICES
German patent applications
Protect a technical invention in Germany before a product launch, trade fair or investor presentation. We assess the proposed filing, prepare the application and guide prosecution before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA).
02 / IP SERVICES
European patent applications
Use the European Patent Office (EPO) procedure to seek protection across selected European markets. We coordinate drafting, examination and the decisions required at grant, including national validation and, where appropriate, unitary effect.
03 / IP SERVICES
PCT and international patent applications
Keep international filing options organised while deciding where an invention needs protection. We help businesses select between direct foreign filings and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) route and coordinate national and regional phases.
04 / IP SERVICES
Unitary Patent and UPC strategy
Choose European patent coverage and litigation strategy together. We assess unitary effect, conventional European patent protection and the relevance of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) to a portfolio or dispute.
05 / IP SERVICES
German utility model applications
Consider German utility model protection when a technical product needs a potentially faster registration route. We assess suitability, draft claims and examine the risks of relying on a right that has not undergone substantive examination before registration.
06 / IP SERVICES
German, EU and international trade marks
Protect names, logos and other distinctive signs with a filing strategy matched to the business. We advise on German trade marks, EU trade marks and international registrations through the Madrid System.
07 / IP SERVICES
German, EU and international design applications
Protect product appearance with carefully prepared design representations. We advise on German registered designs, registered EU designs and international design applications through the Hague System.
08 / IP SERVICES
Patent searches and freedom to operate
Separate the question whether an invention can be patented from the question whether a product may infringe someone else’s rights. We scope patentability, validity, competitor and freedom-to-operate searches around the decision the business needs to make.
09 / IP SERVICES
Patent prosecution, opposition and appeals
Respond to examination objections, defend granted claims or challenge a competitor’s patent. We assess the procedural route, the evidence and the commercial value of the protection at issue.
10 / IP SERVICES
IP infringement and litigation
Enforce or defend patents, trade marks, designs, copyright and trade secrets with a strategy suited to the evidence and commercial stakes. We assess urgent action, negotiated solutions and proceedings in the appropriate forum.
11 / IP SERVICES
Software, AI and copyright protection
Protect software and digital products through the appropriate combination of copyright, technical patents, contracts and confidential know-how. We assess ownership, development arrangements and infringement risks at the product level.
12 / IP SERVICES
Trade secrets and employee inventions
Keep commercially valuable know-how under effective control and clarify ownership of inventions created within the business. We advise on confidentiality measures, invention reporting and collaboration arrangements.
13 / IP SERVICES
IP licensing and technology transfer
Convert intellectual property into workable commercial arrangements. We draft and review licences, assignments, development agreements and settlements with attention to ownership, use rights and enforcement.
14 / IP SERVICES
IP portfolios, renewals and due diligence
Maintain the rights that support the business and identify problems before financing, licensing or a sale. We review ownership, coverage, deadlines, agreements and disputes across the portfolio.
15 / IP SERVICES
Life sciences, plant varieties and specialised rights
Choose protection suited to regulated products, biological inventions and specialised technologies. We coordinate patent strategy with plant variety rights, supplementary protection questions and sector-specific commercial requirements.
16 / IP SERVICES
International IP strategy and foreign associates
Coordinate German, European and international IP work with a clear lead contact and a territory-by-territory plan. We assist businesses and foreign counsel with filings, prosecution, portfolio transfers and contentious matters.
Before you disclose an invention
A website launch, conference talk, sales offer or trade fair demonstration may affect patentability. Tell us about any planned disclosure and previous publication when you first contact us. If a filing deadline or warning-letter deadline is close, state the exact date immediately.
From first discussion to the next decision
01 · Define the objective
We identify the product, the relevant parties, target markets and time pressure. For inventions, we arrange an appropriate exchange of technical information.
02 · Choose the route
We discuss filing options, searches, ownership and costs. Patents, designs, trade marks and confidential know-how can protect different parts of the same product.
03 · File and follow through
We prepare the agreed documents, manage the instructed procedure and explain the next decision. Examination, opposition, renewals and enforcement require separate planning.
Three ways IP decisions arise in practice
Before a product launch
A new industrial sensor combines a technical mechanism, distinctive housing and brand name. Patent, design and trade mark protection should be considered together before launch.
Before international expansion
A German technology company prepares to enter several markets. Country selection, priority deadlines, translations and local examination costs need a coordinated plan.
When a competitor intervenes
A warning letter arrives shortly before delivery. The first response is to preserve evidence, identify deadlines and assess the asserted right against the actual product.
Technical and legal perspectives in one team
Our patent attorneys and attorneys at law work across filing, prosecution and commercial IP issues. Hannover is our headquarters; we advise businesses through our German offices and coordinate international matters with appropriate local counsel.
Michael Horak, LL.M.
Attorney at law · Engineer
Certified specialist in intellectual property law and copyright/media law
Julia Ziegeler
Attorney at law
Certified specialist in intellectual property law and copyright/media law
Dr. Marie Wagner
Patent attorney
IP insights and developments
Practical updates for applicants and rights holders, together with an archive of earlier publications.
- EUIPO Guidelines 2026: check trade mark and design instructions before filingThe 2026 edition of the EUIPO examination Guidelines entered into force on 1 July 2026. The Guidelines describe Office practice for EU trade marks and registered EU designs and are relevant when preparing new instructions or responding to objections.
- EU design reform in July 2026: prepare representations for the current rulesThe second phase of the EU design reform became applicable on 1 July 2026. Businesses preparing new design applications should check that their filing workflow reflects the current rules.
- EPO Guidelines 2026: review your prosecution and Euro-PCT checklistsThe EPO’s revised EPC, PCT-EPO and Unitary Patent Guidelines took effect on 1 April 2026. For applicants, the practical task is to use the current procedural guidance for the next step in each live file.
Browse current insights and the archive →
Discuss the next step
Tell us what you want to protect, the markets involved and any filing, launch or response deadline. We will clarify the scope of the instruction, the documents needed and the basis of the fees before starting the agreed work. Please identify the parties first so that we can check for conflicts and arrange a suitable channel for sensitive technical information.
Hannover headquarters · Advice for German and international businesses · Our offices