HORAK. RECHTSANWÄLTE · LAW AND TECHNOLOGY
Protect the technology behind your machinery.
We help businesses secure, commercialise and defend intellectual property in machinery, components, software and industrial processes. Legal and technical qualifications within the team support the assessment of complex inventions and development projects.
Patents and technical inventions
We advise on patent and utility-model strategy, ownership, employee inventions and contractual rights in development results. The appropriate filing route and territorial coverage depend on the invention, disclosure timetable and commercial objectives.
Before publication or disclosure to a partner, the consequences for protection should be assessed. Freedom-to-operate analysis and patentability address different questions; neither should be assumed from ownership of a patent.
Know-how, software and cooperation
We structure confidentiality agreements, development contracts, licences and technology-transfer arrangements. These should distinguish pre-existing technology from project results and address improvements, sublicensing and use after termination.
Trade-secret protection requires appropriate secrecy measures in practice. Access controls, document handling, employee arrangements and supplier procedures should support the contractual framework. Software may involve copyright, open-source obligations and, in suitable circumstances, patent issues.
Defence and enforcement
We assess infringement allegations, evidence and available remedies, and help coordinate technical and legal arguments. Settlement, licensing, court proceedings or arbitration may be appropriate depending on the rights and dispute agreement.
Where proceedings span multiple jurisdictions or specialised forums, coordination with qualified local counsel and the relevant procedural framework is essential.