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Portrait ofAdrian Zarm

Adrian Zarm, LL.M., MGlobL (University of Sydney)

Counsel
Rechtsanwalt | Fachanwalt für Gewerblichen Rechtsschutz (Certified lawyer for intellectual property law)

CMS Hasche Sigle
Kranhaus 1
Im Zollhafen 18
50678 Cologne
Germany
Languages German, English

Adrian Zarm advises and represents German and international clients on all aspects of trade mark, design, copyright and unfair competition law. He focuses both on the out-of-court and in-court defence of IP rights, including preliminary injunctions and legal proceedings, and providing strategic advice on optimised registration and protection strategies in Germany and abroad. Adrian also reviews advertising and marketing campaigns and advises on NFTs, the metaverse and AI. His clients include several sports clubs, which he advises on all IP-related issues and beyond.

Adrian joined CMS in 2015 and has been a counsel since 2022. He lectures on design law at the Academy for Fashion and Design in Duesseldorf and regularly publishes on IP law topics, also co-authoring commentaries and handbooks on the German Unfair Competition Act (UWG).

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Memberships & Roles

  • German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR)
  • German-Australian-Pacific Lawyers Association
  • International Trademark Association (INTA)
  • European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA)
  • Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats (AIJA)
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Publications

  • Kommentierung des Kapitels §42 „Designrecht“ sowie Kapitel §43 „Internationales Designrecht“, Münchener Anwaltshandbuch Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz, 6. Auflage 2022, together with Dr. Katja Middelhoff
  • Advertising Q&A Germany – 2022, Practical Law - Cross-border commercial transactions
  • "Zum Schutz eines aus mehreren Gegenständen bestehenden Designs", IPRB 2022, 132-133
  • „NFTs – marken‑, urheber- und persönlichkeitsrechtliche Facetten des Phänomens“,IPRB 2022, 270-274, gtogether with Dr. Kaja Middelhoff
  • Anmerkung zu einer Entscheidung des OLG Frankfurt, Beschluss vom 28.06.2022 (6 W 32/22) - Zur Zeichenähnlichkeit zwischen „THE NORTH FACE“ und „THE DOG FACE“, IPRB 2022, 228-230
  • "Round-up of European design law decisions 2020 and 2022", Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, 2021 und 2023 (Middelhoff/Hasselblatt/Zarm/Schneider)
  • Seit Juli 2021 Betreuung des Moduls “Markenrecht”, Beck'sche Online-Formulare Prozess herausgegeben durch Doukoff/Baumann,
  • "Advertising Q&A Germany - 2021", Practical Law - Cross-border commercial transactions
  • "Advertising Q&A Germany - 2020", Practical Law - Cross-border commercial transactions
  • Auf dem Weg zu einem „freien“ Ersatzteilmarkt – die Reparaturklausel im Designgesetz kommt“ im CMS Update IP, Ausgabe III/2020, zusammen mit Patrick Schneider
  • „Spirituosen, alkoholische Mischgetränke und destillierte Getränke ohne Alkohol“ IPRB, 2020, 40-45, zusammen mit Dr. Julia Hugendubel
  • “Gekaufte“ Kundenbewertungen - Wettbewerbsrechtliche Analyse der Auswirkungen auf die Gesamtbewertung“ IPRB, 2020, 135-139, zusammen mit Dr. Julia Hugendubel
  • „DIE AUSWIRKUNGEN VON „GEISTERSPIELEN“ AUF DIENSTLEISTUNGSVERTRÄGE IM RAHMEN DES STADIONBETRIEBES“ im CMS-Blog vom 14.05.2020 zusammen mit Herrn Prof. Dr. Gordian Hasselblatt
  • "Advertising Q&A Germany - 2019", Practical Law - Cross-border commercial transactions
  • Abmahnfalle „Black Friday“ – oder: Totgesagte leben länger, Beitrag vom 25. November 2019 im Magazin „Deutscher Anwaltsspiegel“
  • Kommentierung des § 7 UWG in der 5. Auflage des Handbuch des Wettbewerbsrechts, 2019, C.H. Beck Verlag zusammen mit Herrn Prof. Dr. Gordian Hasselblatt
  • „Revision der Anforderungen an die Positionsmarke“, IPRB 2019, 207-212 zusammen mit Dr. Julia Hugendubel
  • Master-Thesis: Eine dritte Dimension des geistigen Eigentums? Rechtliche Fragen zum 3D-Druck, April 2016
  • BGH: Anspruch auf Domain-Löschung aus § 12 BGB auch für öffentlich-rechtliche Rundfunkanstalt, GRURPrax 2014, 200
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Lectures list

  • "NFTs – ein kurzer Hype oder gekommen um zu bleiben Zukunftsrelevante Rechtsfragen zu Non-Fungible Token", Deutscher Anwaltstag, Hamburg, 2022
  • "Metaverse und NFTs – Mysterien, rechtliche Probleme und Lösungen", GRUR-Vortrag, Stuttgart, 2023
  • "KI in der Forschung - wem gehören von und mit KI erstellte Inhalte", IP-Days der Humboldt Univrsität, Berlin, 2023
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Education

  • 2014 - 2017: Master in Media Law and Media Business, Technical University of Cologne
  • 2014 - 2015: Master of Global Law at the University of Sydney
  • 2012: Second state examination in law
  • 2010 - 2012: Trainee lawyer at Cologne Higher Regional Court with stages in the legal departments of two leading media groups in Cologne and Berlin
  • 2010: First state examination in law
  • Law studies at the Universities in Düsseldorf and Cologne
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Feed

14/07/2023
Virtuelle Influencer: Chancen und Hürden
Virtual influencers are a new phenomenon, at least in Germany. They might be used to advertise digital fashion in future, for example, or to interact in the metaverse. What are the special features of virtual influencers? What are the benefits, especially for businesses, and can they be regarded as influencers from a legal viewpoint? Adrian Zarm and Dr Gabriele Stark, both from the Intellectual Property practice, answer these and many other important questions in our new podcast.
03/05/2023
Digital Fashion im Metaverse
Virtual fashion is growing in importance and increasingly influencing the fashion industry, with implications for the legal world and creatives alike. For example, it raises the question of the conditions under which design law protection for digital fashion applies, and the extent to which a right to use digital fashion items exists if it has already been granted in the analogue world. In our new podcast, Adrian Zarm and Dr Gabriele Stark, both from the Intellectual Property practice, examine the legal challenges posed by digital fashion in the metaverse. They cover key issues around copyright, design and trademark law.
06/04/2023
Markenrecht vs. Kunstfreiheit im Metaverse
Following on from the podcast on trademark law in the metaverse, we now deal with the question of what happens when trademark law and artistic freedom meet in the metaverse. Of particular interest here is the US case of Hermès vs Rothschild. Artist Mason Rothschild created an NFT series called “MetaBir­kins”, which led to him being sued. Adrian Zarm and Patrick Schneider, both from the Intellectual Property practice, look at whether brand names are protected in virtual space and how artistic freedom fits into all this.
10/03/2023
Willkommen im Metaverse: Ist das Markenrecht bereit für das Metaverse?
Digital ownership is on the rise. But does current brand protection law also extend to the digital sphere? To what extent can digital assets constitute (intellectual) property, and what are the differences between them and other digital goods? In our new podcast “Willkommen im Meta­verse”, Patrick Schneider and Ad­ri­an Zarm address these and other interesting issues and look at whether trademark law is ready for the metaverse.
02/09/2022
EUIPO guidelines on the registration of virtual goods and NFTs
The EUIPO has for the first time responded to the rapid development of digital markets in the metaverse by issuing guidelines on the classification of virtual goods and NFTs. The metaverse is an umbrella...
22/08/2022
EU intellectual property office publishes approach for classifying virtual...
With the explosion in popularity of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in recent years that has seen seemingly ordinary pictures of apes being sold for tens of millions of dollars, the EU Intellectual Property...
07/06/2022
Trade secret laws and regulations in Germany
General 1. Has the Directive (EU) 2016/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2016 on the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their...
Comparable
23/03/2022
To file or not to file? Trade mark protection in the metaverse
Whether you’re familiar with the term or hearing it for the first time, many global brands have begun to consider the implications that the metaverse might have on their IP. There are, seemingly, boundless...
20/01/2022
Trade mark dispute over AC Milan's club crest – do other professional clubs...
AC Milan fails in its attempt to register its club logo as a trade mark before the General Court. Professional clubs should not count on their brand recognition for their brand strategy. Yet another new...
18/05/2019
INTA Annual Meeting 2019
Several of our partners coming from over 15 different countries, will be at INTA's 2019 Annual Meeting in Boston, USA. To arrange a meeting during INTA, please contact any of our delegates profiled below...
02/01/2017
Another joint success: CMS advises NORD Holding on a further purchase –...
Cologne – NORD Holding Un­ternehmens­beteili­gungs­gesell­schaft mbH has acquired the business operations of fashion house Olsen as part of a cross-border mixed share and asset deal. The vendor is Switzer­land’s...