The Cologne Regional Court has issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the operators of the „FragDenStaat“ platform from publishing the expert opinion of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) requested by the initiative on the internet. The expert opinion is protected by copyright – exceptions to use without consent do not apply. The decision is not legally binding. The Open Knowledge Foundation, which is behind „FragDenStaat“, has already announced an appeal against the decision (Cologne Regional Court, decision of 19.03.2019 – 14 O 86/19 – to the full text of the decision).
Trademark application in bad faith as leverage in competition
Trademark applications in bad faith: How abusive registrations lead to a blocking position and circumvent competition law – an EGC case.