Dr. Christian Lemke

Bar Certified Specialist Lawyer for Industrial Property Law
Bar Certified Specialist Lawyer for Information Technology Law

Christian Lemke has been attorney since 1993 and a partner at Heissner & Struck since 1996. He has been Bar Certified Specialist Lawyer in Industrial Property Law since 2006 and Bar Certified Specialist Lawyer in Information Technology law since 2008. He practices in industrial property law, data protection law, IT law, copyright law and competition law.

In the Handelsblatt/BestLawyers ranking, Dr. Christian Lemke has for many years been one of Germany’s best lawyers in the fields of „Information Technology Law,” “Intellectual Property Law,” “Competition Law,” and “Media Law. In 2023, he was also named “Lawyer of the Year” in the field of “IT Law“ for 2023/2024. For details click here.

Education

Christian graduated from the University of Hamburg. Practical legal training (“Referendariat”) included positions with the German Federal Cartel Office, the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg (3rd Senate, responsible for IP law), a Los Angeles law firm and the German-American Chamber of Commerce in Chicago. 1993 Christian Lemke completed his doctorate under supervision of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ernst-Joachim Mestmäcker, Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, Hamburg.

Languages

German, English

Positions,

Memberships

First Vice President, German Federal Bar (Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer)
President of the Hamburg Bar (Hanseatische Rechtsanwaltskammer)
Chair of the Future of the Legal Profession and Legal Services Committee,Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE)
Stakeholders Advisory Board, European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
Europe Global Advisory Council, International Trademark Association (INTA)
EU Committee, The German Federal Bar (Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer)
IT Law Committee, CCBE
Advisory Board, European Lawyers Foundation, The Hague
2006 to 2019: Chairman of the Committee for the Certification of IT Lawyers at the Hamburg Bar
2015 to 2017: Head of the German Delegation to the CCBE

Others:

German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR)
DAV working groups on IT law and intellectual property and media
German Association of Law and Informatics (DGRI)
German Institution of Arbitration (DIS)

Publications

The lawyer in a second profession – a German perspective, TL Tijdschrift Today’s lawyer (KnopsPublishing), 2024, 25
Shareholder’s request for information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, comment on BGH, decision of 24.10.2023 – II ZB 3/23, GRUR-Prax 2024, 76
Krenzler/Remmertz, Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz (commentary on the German Legal Services Act), Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 3rd edition, 2023, co-author
Likelihood of confusion between “viaflex” and “viastore” in the field of transport, comment on German Federal Patent Court, decision of May 15, 2023 – 26 W (pat) 21/17, GRUR-Prax 2023, 491
Anforderungen an die Anmeldung einer Positions-Tastmarke (“Requirements for the application of a haptic position mark”), comment on European General Court, Judgment of December 7, 2022, T-487/21, GRUR-Prax 2023, 200
Keine Verwechslungsgefahr zwischen Phantasiebegriff und Kurzzeichen mit erkennbarem Sinngehalt („No likelihood of confusion between fanciful term and short mark with recognisable meaning“), comment on BPatG, Decision of December 7, 2021, 25 W (pat) 544/20, GRUR-Prax 2022, 378
Kein Schadensersatz bei CC-Lizenz wegen fehlender Urheberbenennung (“No damages in the case of a CC licence due to lack of copyright notice”), comment on Local Court of Frankfurt a. M., Judgment of January 5, 2022, 30 C 4113/20, GRUR-Prax 2022, 319
Indirect Violation of Freedom of the Press by Minister’s Statement that Reading a Newspaper Indicates Anti-Constitutional Sentiments, comment on Administrative Court of Duesseldorf, judgment of May 21, 2021, 1 K 5973/20, GRUR-Prax 2021, 451
Unzulässiges Legal-Tech-Inkasso, comment on Regional Court of Hannover, Judgment of Feb. 1, 2021, Case 18 O 34/17 – Zuckerkartell, BRAK-Mitt. 3/2021, 189 et seq.
LegalTech-Gesetz: Vom Ansatz verfehlt und nicht verbrauchergerecht („LegalTech Act: Misguided in its Approach and not Consumer-friendly“), RechtDigital 2021, 224 et seq.
Keine Verpflichtung eines Unterlassungsschuldners zur Löschung von Folgeeinträgen – x Rechtsanwälte II („No obligation of a Respondent for an Injunction to delete Subsequent Entries – x Lawyers II“), comment on Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf, Order of Oct. 13, 2021, Case 20 W 71/19, GRUR-Prax 2021, 140
Verantwortlichkeit für Markenrechtsverletzung in Internet-Verzeichnissen („Responsibility for Trademark Infringements in Internet-Directories“), comment on Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf,Order of Sept. 9, 2019, Case 20 W 71/19 GRUR-Prax 2020, 213
EUROPEAN UNION: FACK JU GÖHTE Not Contrary to Accepted Principles of Morality INTA Bulletin, April 1, 2020 Vol. 75, No. 6
„Verantwortlichkeit für Markenverletzung im Internet“ („Responsibility for Trademark Infringements in the Internet“), comment on the judgement of the European Court of Justice of March 3, 2016, Case C-179/15 – „Daimler AG/Együd Garage Gépjárműjavító és Értékesítő Kft“, IWRZ 4/2016, 168
“Registering Advertising Slogans as Trademarks in the United States and Europe” (co-author, together with Rachel B. Rudensky, Ackerman Senterfitt), INTA Bulletin, April 15, 2016, Vol. 71, Nr. 7
“How to Best Position your Position Mark in Europe”, INTA Bulletin, 01.03.2016, Vol. 71, Nr. 4
“Fehlerhafte Beurteilung der Voraussetzungen einer Markenverletzung”, comment on the judgment of the European Court of Justice of July, 16, 2015, Case C-681/13 – “Diageo/Simiramida”, IWRZ 2015, 35 ff.
“Counterfeits in Transit and Shipments to Non-Commercial Buyers in Europe: Current Proposals for Legislative Reform”, INTA Bulletin, April 1, 2015, Vol. 70, No. 7, p. 13 et. seq.
“Trademarks, Registered Designs and Minimum Standards of Copyright Protection in Germany”, INTA Bulletin, July 1, 2014, Vol. 69, No. 12, p. 6 et. seq.
“What’s in a Name? Comparing Rights and Recoveries for False Suggestion of a Connection in the United States and Germany” (co-author, together with Rachel B. Rudensky, Akerman Senterfitt, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA), INTA Bulletin, August 1, 2013, Vol. 68, No. 14, p. 5 et. seq.
“Back to the Roots: Conflicts Between Trademarks and Company Names in Germany Before and After Céline”, INTA Bulletin, April 15, 2013, Vol. 68, Nr. 8, S. 10
“Trademarks Versus Titles of Works: When Do Software ‘Titles’ Infringe Trademarks Under German and European Law?”, INTA Bulletin, Jan. 1, 2013, Vol. 68, No. 1, p. 1, 6 et seq.
“Obtaining Preliminary Injunctions – Recent Developments in Germany”, INTA Bulletin, Sept. 1, 2012, Vol. 67, No. 15, p. 10
“Beweissicherung” (“Preserving Evidence”) in: Leitfaden Online-Recht (“Guidelines Online-Law”), Hamburg@work e.V., 2009
“Are branches of law offices to be designated as such?”, BRAK-Mitteilungen (Federal Bar Association Report) 2008, 146 – 150
„Vertragsgestaltung bei IT-Projekten“ (“Negotiating and Drafting IT Contracts”) in: Handbuch IT-Recht (Handbook IT-Law), Hamburg@work e.V., 2006
„Softwareüberlassung auf Dauer“ (“Software Licensing”) in: Handbuch IT-Recht (Handbook IT-Law), Hamburg@work e.V., 2006
“Entertainment Law”, Co-Author, Kluwer Law International, 2001
„Was haben Lizenzverträge mit Websites zu tun?“ (“What do license agreements have to do with websites?”) Co-Author, Hamburg@work e.V., 1999
„Der fehlerhafte Aufsichtsratsbeschluss“ („The incorrect supervisory board resolution“), doctoral thesis, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft (issued by Ernst-Joachim Mestmäcker and Kurt Biedenkopf), 1994

Lectures

May 2019, EUIPO, Alicante/Spain, EUIPO Mediation Conference, Speaker on “The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe´s (CCBE) view on judicial mediation”
April 2019, Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, Conference “Brave New World: Gewerblichkeit – die neue Freiheit?” – Speaker on the consequences of the BREXIT for the Legal Profession
February 2019, Abidjan / Côte d’Ivoire, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Conference on Rule of Law, Justice and Development – Speaker on AI and Legal Tech
November 2018, Lille, CCBE Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Human Justice – Speaker on AI and Legal Tech
April 2018, Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, Conference “Fast Forward: Law Firms of the Future, the Future of Law Firms”, Speaker on sharing of fees between lawyers and non-lawyers
January 2018, Athens, 5th International Conference of DiMEE, Artificial Intelligence and Law – Speaker on AI and Legal Tech
„Innovation and Future of the Legal Profession in Europe“, co-author, Bruylant, 2017
November 2016, Sao Paulo, DiaLAWgue – Speaker and Penalist on „Cross-Border Data Transfers“
November 2016, Kuala Lumpur, LAWASIA IP and Technology Conference 2016 – Speaker and Penalist on „Cross-Border Data Transfers“
October 2016, Paris, CCBE Conference Innovation and Future on the Legal Profession – Speaker and Penalist on „The Future of Legal Services“