The community of heirs of Astrid Lindgren successfully brought an action before the Hamburg Regional Court against Filmkunst-Musikverlags- und Produktionsgesellschaft and the widow of the author of the German Pippi Longstocking song, Wolfgang Franke. The case concerned injunctive relief, information and damages. The court found that Franke’s own artistic contribution to the work was high, meaning that he did not necessarily have to use the original Swedish text by Lindgren. Nevertheless, the song lyrics constituted a copyright infringement: The song makes clear reference to essential characteristics and circumstances of the main character. The plaintiffs assert that they are only interested in obtaining a share for the song, which has not yet been the case. The judgment is not yet final (LG Hamburg, judgment of December 9, 2020, Ref.: 308 O 431/17).
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.