Partner

Prof. Dr. Heralt Hug

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

Languages

German
English
French

Social media

Heralt Hug, certified lawyer for intellectual property, specialises in competition, trademark, copyright and media law and represents clients in and out of court. The companies he works for are often from the consumer goods, travel and entertainment sectors as well as software manufacturers. He focuses on e-commerce and digital media and is also a very experienced libel and trade mark litigator.

Heralt joined CMS (then: Sigle Loose Schmidt-Diemitz) in 1997 and became a partner in 2003. He gained his first international experiences while working as a trainee lawyer with the German-Australian Chamber of Commerce in Sydney, advising companies on intellectual property matters. Alongside his legal practice, Heralt Hug is Honorary Professor for Digitalisation Law at Brandenburg University of Technology and member of the board at Cluster IT Mitteldeutschland e. V.

Awards & Recognitions

01 –

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„Oft empfohlen“ für Marken- und Wettbewerbsrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2024/2025
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„Oft empfohlen“ für Marken- und Wettbewerbsrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024
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"Recommended" for Trademarks and Unfair Competition

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2020-2022 (GCLF)
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"practice-oriented, always focused on our needs and their feasibility", client

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2021 (GCLF)
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"Recommended" for Trademarks and Design Law, Unfair Competition

JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2020 (GCLF)
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„Oft empfohlen“ für Marken- und Wettbewerbrecht

JUVE Handbuch, 2022/2023

Relevant experience

Germany

Litigation for an internet company against Twitter: As an outcome of the process, it was for the first time established that microblogging services are under certain circumstances responsible for the unlawful statements of third parties.
Represented the city of Leipzig in a German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) case which resulted in the cancellation of the trade mark "Wir sind das Volk" (We are the people). Thus, the DPMA for the first time ruled that political, respectively historical slogans need to be kept freely available.
Advising Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig on IP law and global sponsoring contracts.
Advising the Invia group on IP law.
Representing a German basketball team playing in the Federal Basketball League (BBL) in a trade mark dispute against the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Publications

Fake-Bewertungen: Amazon gewinnt gegen bezahlte Kundenbewertungen (Fake assessments: Amazon wins a victory over paid customer reviews), guest editorial, startupvalley.news, published on 27 March 2019
Neuestes zum Online-Marketing nach Einführung der DSGVO (Latest news on online marketing after introduction of the GDPR), article in handbook on cultural management, chapter culture and law, 64th update
„Vorsicht, Copyteufel – Wie sich Start-ups auf der Suche nach Kooperationspartnern bestmöglich vor Ideenklau schützen (Beware of the copycat - How start-ups can protect themselves best against idea snitching when looking for cooperation partners)”, published together with Heralt Hug in starting-up Magazin, 04/18, pages 40, 41
"Wie sich Startups beim Pitch vor Copycats schützen" (How startups protect their pitches from coypcats), gruenderszene.de, 14 June 2018
Nach dem Geburtstagszug: Urheberrechtlicher Schutz auch für Messebauten (In Accordance with the Birthday-Train Decision: Copyright Protection also for Exhibition Constructions), AUMA_Blog, 3 November 2016
Die Haftung von Blog-Betreibern und Mikroblogging-Diensten für Äußerungen ihrer Nutzer (Liability of Bloggers and Microblog Service Providers for Their Users' Statements), handbook on cultural management, publisher: DUZ, 2016
Do's and Don'ts bei Social Media - die wichtigsten Spielregeln (Do's and Don'ts in Social Media – The Essential Rules of the Game), guest article in STADIONWELT INSIDE, issue 3/2013, September 2013
Gewerbliche Schutzrechte, Beck'sches Mandatshandbuch Unternehmenskauf (Industrial Property Rights, Beck's Handbook of Mergers and Acquisitions), 2nd edition, 2012
Wenn das Gewinnspiel zum Eigentor wird - Die Einwilligungserklärung zur Nutzung von Zuschauer- und Hörerdaten (If a Sweepstake Backfires – Declaration of Consent to Use of Viewers' and Listeners' Data), bci magazine Who's perfect?, 2009
Datenschutz in der Marktforschung (Data Protection in Market Research), interview, newsletter of Forschungsgruppe Medien 2009
Altes und Neues zum Thema: Recht auf Kurzberichterstattung (Old and New Information on the Right to Short Reporting), Sponsors 2007, p. 40
Cold Calls in der Marktforschung? (Cold Calls in Market Research?), WRP 2006, p. 1420
Entertainment und Recht - Stolperfallen bei der Programmgestaltung (Entertainment and Law – Pitfalls of Programming), bci magazine Who's perfect?, 2005
Das neue Unlauterkeitsrecht - Happy Hour im Einzelhandel? (The New Unfair Trade Practice Law – Happy Hour in Retail Trade?), Wirtschaft im Fluss, publisher: Recht und Wirtschaft, 2004
Wettbewerbswidriges Handeln der öffentlichen Hand beim Verkauf von Baugrundstücken? (Anti-Competitive Behaviour of Public Authorities When Selling Building Plots?), Immobilien- & Baurecht, id Verlag, 2001
BGH stoppt Abmahnungswesen (German Federal Court of Justice Blocks Warning Letter Practice), Immobilien- & Baurecht 2001
DB-Immobilienfonds: Schutzfähiges Unternehmenskennzeichen? (Is DB-Immobilienfonds a Company Identifier Worthy of Protection?), Immobilien- & Baurecht 2001
Baumeister-Haus: Schutzfähig? (Is Baumeister-Haus Worthy of Protection?), Immobilien- & Baurecht 2001
Beeinträchtigen Verstöße gegen Preisangabenverordnung den Wettbewerb auf dem Immobilienmarkt? (Do Infringements of the Price Indication Ordinance Affect Competition on the Real Estate Market?), Immobilien- und Baurecht 2001
Vergleichende Werbung - Alles erlaubt? (Is Everything Allowed in Comparative Advertising?), Haus & Invest 2000
Umweltstrafrechtliche Verantwortlichkeiten in den Kommunen (Liability of Local Authorities Under Environmental Criminal Law), publisher: Hartung-Gorre, 1996, doctoral thesis

Memberships & Roles

German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR)
Cluster IT Central Germany

Lectures list

„Navigating the EU AI Act: What do SMEs need to know now?“, hosted by Automotive Cluster Ostdeutschland and the competence centre KMI, online event, 12 February 2025, https://kmi-netzwerk.org/2025/01/13/den-eu-ai-act-navigieren/
"ISO certification – Secrecy protection and liability issues", Cluster Informationstechnologie Mitteldeutschland e.V., 12th Digitalisation Conference "The future of work – digital and safe!?", GoTo webinar, 1 December 2021
"Protection of know-how – Changes under the German Act on the Protection of Secrets (GeschGehG)", Club International, online event, 24 February 2021
"Protection of secrets: Innovations. Risks. Solutions.", Cluster Informationstechnologie Mitteldeutschland e.V., diginar, 12 November 2020
"Data protection in practice", 7th Digitisation Conference, Dresden, 12 June 2019
"News on online marketing having regard to the new GDPR and outlook on the ePrivacy Regulation", annual data protection congress 2018, Potsdam, 7 November 2018
"Legal compliance in social media", exchange of experience on social media (topic: "Legal framework conditions in the context of social media"), Potsdam 16 October 2018
"Copyright on buildings", Academy of Engineers, Mainz, 21 September 2017
"IP and IT - Watch out when buying an enterprise" - Intellectual Property Discussion - IP rights as a business asset | Maikowski & Ninnemann Patentanwälte Partnerschaft mbB, 19 June 2017
Roadshow "Know-how protection: Novelties. Risks. Solutions." CMS Leipzig, 7 September 2016
"Data protection 4.0 (?) – Shedding light on big data, industry 4.0, e-health, safe harbour and privacy shield – Can the EU basic regulation on data protection be the legal framework for the 'fuel of the new millennium'?", 2nd digitization conference "EU basic regulation on data protection", IHK Halle-Dessau, Cluster Informationstechnologie Mitteldeutschland e.V., Halle, 25 August 2016
Streaming media, cloud computing, social media: Does Europe's contract law need an update?", panel discussion, Ministry of Justice of Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale), 12 May 2016
"Incrimination in the media as an in-fact sentence", lecture held together with the retired state secretary Peter Zimmermann, CMS Business Brunch, Leipzig, 21 April 2016
"Law 2.0: Marketing and advertising on the Internet – challenges and chances for enterprises", IHK Halle-Dessau, Cluster IT Mitteldeutschland e.V., Halle, 9 April 2015"Risks associated with data protection law lurk everywhere …", Central-German Web Congress, Leipzig, 5 June 2014
"Legal provisions for secure electronic communication", Ceyoniq Solution Lounge Leipzig, 8 May 2014
"Risks associated with data protection law lurk everywhere …", CMS Business Brunch, Leipzig, 10 April 2014
"With due legal respect. Bringing market research into legal focus", event hosted by the German federal association of market researchers BVM Bundesverband Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforscher, Leipzig, 3 April 2014
"Online marketing und advertisement in the Internet", Multimedia Centre, Halle/S., 29 January 2014
"Social networks and law", Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Leipzig, 18 January 2014
"Code is Law? BIG DATA and Data Protection", 13th annual conference on energy law, Dresden, 20 September 2013
"Trends in online marketing", Central-German Web Congress, Leipzig, 6 June 2013
"Do or do not. There is no try. - The latest developments in internet advertising", Leipzig, 25 April 2013
"Social Media breakfast", organised by the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW), Leipzig, 20 March 2013
"Social media are top priority", conference organised by Sachsen Bank, MARSH and CMS Hasche Sigle, Dresden, 24 September 2012
"Social media - interplay between PR and law", 5th symposium on media law in Cottbus, 7 June 2012
"Social Media - Like it?", CMS Business Brunch, Leipzig, 19 April 2012/25 April 2012
"Personal reputation management, social networks and investigative journalism", Leipzig School of Media, 24 January 2012
"Tips and tricks for a legally compliant web site: search engine optimisation, AdWords advertising, behavioural targeting", 8th Congress of Businessmen in Central Europe, 6 December 2011, Leipzig
"Our celebs are humans like us", TV interview, MDR, 08 October 2011
"Website, meta-tags, keyword advertising - tips for a legally compliant web presence", Summer School of the German Federal Associate of German Press Relation Officers, 20 September 2011, Leipzig
"Unfair Competition - Focus: Energy Business", 7 July 2011, Leipzig
"The website - legal innovations, common errors", 4. Cottbuser Medienrechtstage, Cottbus, 17 June 2011
"Your website - the showcase of your company", CMS Business Brunch, Leipzig, 14 April 2011
"Screen Scraping - Reading Out Online Data", Intellectual Property Congress, Berlin, 29 April 2010
"The German Unfair Competition Act - shield and sword at times of crisis", Civil Engineering Forum, Weimar, 2 March 2010
"The German Unfair Competition Act", Conference of the Association of German Concrete Engineers, Günthersdorf, 3 February 2010
"Data protection for enterprises after the amendments to the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG)", Business Brunch organised by KPMG and CMS, Leipzig, 29 January 2010
"Press law and right to privacy: from Bismarck to Nadja", Symposium on media law, Cottbus, 19 June 2009
"Is data protection a stumbling block in marketing research and opinion research?" Penal discussion, media venue for middle Germany, media city of Leipzig, 05 May 2009
"IT safety in enterprises - with legal certainty to security of information", 10. CMS Business Brunch, Leipzig, 28 April 2009
"Data protection for enterprises - Update 2009", 8. CMS Business Brunch, Leipzig, 26 February 2009
"Einführung in das Presserecht und der Schutz der Persönlichkeit im Presserecht", Medienrechtstage, Cottbus, 02 July 2008
"Sport sponsorship - The contract is the playing field", 18 June 2008 in Leipzig at "Law meets football"
"Press Law and General Right to Privacy", lecture at the Brandenburg University of Technology, Summer term 2008
"Sportsponsoring", RMS Reichel Consulting, Dresden, 10 July 2007
"Sponsoring - Tips on how to draw a contract", 5. CMS Business Brunch, Leipzig, 28 March 2007
"Downloading of copyright works on the internet", Congress of the German-Spanish Lawyer's Association, Berlin, 21 October 2006
"Let the music play - Protection for musicians and conductors under copyright law", organised by the Association of German Audio-artists (DTKV), Leipzig, 04 March 2006
"Media rights for management staff", Regiocast, Berlin, 25November 2005
"Media - entertainment and law", PSR Mediengruppe, Leipzig, 09 June 2005
"Licence agreements in insolvency – chances and risks", Intellectual Property Congress, Berlin, 20 May 2005
"The new unfair competition law – happy hour in the retail trade?", Forum "Wirtschaft in Fluss", Berlin, 18 June 2004
"Legal frame conditions of digital right management" at the Symposium on Digital Rights Management of the European Centre for E-commerce and Internet Law, Leipzig 23 October 2003

Education

1997: Finished his stint as a trainee lawyer
1996: PhD
Law studies at the University of Konstanz

Practice Areas

Intellectual Property Competition Law (Unfair Competition Act – UWG) Copyright Trademark Law

sectors

TMC - Technology, Media & Communications Press Law

Insights

Global Reach

Karriere