Profile
Ralf-Michael Burkhardt, as an expert in the protection of intellectual property, specialises in providing legal advice in the areas of food law and press and media law. He has extensive experience in handling court proceedings. For many years he practicised in the firm of a lawyer admitted to the Federal Supreme Court in Karlsruhe.
Languages:
German, English
references
- "We would like to highlight Ralf-Michael Burkhardt, Andreas Schulz and Carola Onken as very competent." - Legal 500 Germany 2022/2023
- "We would like to point out that Ralf-Michael Burkhardt, Andreas Schulz and Carola Onken are very competent." - Legal 500 EMEA 2022
- Best Lawyers in Germany (2021 Edition)
- “Ralf-Michael Burkhardt and Andreas Schulz are delivering excellent work, which makes them also stand out amongst the competition.” - Legal 500 EMEA 2021
Further references
Key Areas
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Press and media
Press and media
Traditionally, there is a tense relationship between the protection of individual personal rights on one side and freedom of information and the press on the other side. If your rights are violated in the media, you will require professional advice on tactics and strategy. Along with the well-tried instruments of press law - right to reply and injunction -, a well thought-out communication strategy on a legally valid basis is often the more promising way forward. This is because the means of distribution for news in the age of the internet quickly defy the control of the national judicial system.
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Arts and applied arts
Arts and applied arts
Not only "fine arts" in the form of paintings or operas, but also the "small change" of applied art are copyrightable. Software, databases, photographs, advertising graphics and texts, design, music and other creative designs are protected by copyright. Thanks to modern technology and digital distribution channels, many works and performances are available on a massive scale. They are often copied or edited.
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Designs
Designs
The protection of products and product parts by registered and unregistered designs has been of increasing importance for many years. It is an effective instrument against counterfeits. This applies to national designs as well as to designs protected within the EU, to the acquisition of design protection as well as to the enforcement of design rights, out of court and before the courts.
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Unfair competition
Unfair competition
The global market is characterised by free trade. The rules of this international economic exchange are expressed in unfair competition law. Comparative or misleading advertising, product imitation, the headhunting of personnel or price dumping may result in unfair competition proceedings. This affects all sectors, from the automotive industry to financial services, from retailers to the internet trade, or from the pharmaceuticals industry to the increasingly deregulated energy supply market.
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Food and drug
Food and drug
The manufacture and distribution of food and drugs in the European Union is subject to strict regulation. In addition to food and drug legislation and unfair competition law, numerous national and European standards regulate all phases of product development and distribution. This is particularly important in cases of health-related food advertising.
Career
| 1997 | Joined KLAKA | |
| 1993 - 1996 | Publishing house counsel and lawyer in Munich | |
| 1990 - 1993 | Employment with a lawyer admitted for representation before the German Federal High Court | |
| 1983 | Admission to the bar | |
| 1983 - 1990 | Employed in a legal practice for civil law in Koblenz | |
| 1973 - 1978 | Studies at Bonn University |