Dr. Ralf Hackbarth
Partner

Profile

Ralf Hackbarth is an internationally active lawyer with particular expertise in trademark, design, and competition law. He also works in the field of geographical indication law. His clients include German and international corporations. A particular focus of his work is the enforcement of trademark and design rights in infringement proceedings before the competent civil courts in Germany.

Ralf studied at the universities of Hamburg, Freiburg, and London (University College). He joined the IP boutique KLAKA in 1996 and became a partner in 1998.

Ralf is a specialist lawyer for industrial property rights. He is regularly recommended in the JUVE Handbook for Trademark and Competition Law as a leading lawyer in trademark law, is listed in LEGAL 500 in the “Hall of Fame” and in Chambers.

Biography

Teaching

• Regular lecturer at the German Bar Association and the Forum Management Institute, among others.

Forums

• Member of the Executive Committee of the German National Group of AIPPI
• Member of the Program Committee and Standing Committee of AIPPI
• Member of the GRUR Advisory Board for Seminar Programs

Publications

• Commentary on Section 14a (Transit), Sections 25 et seq. of the German Trademark Act (MarkenG) (use preserving rights) and Sections 146 et seq. of the German Trademark Act (MarkenG) (border seizure) in Fezer, Commentary on Trademark Law
• Commentary on Sections 1 No. 3 and 4, 4, 40 a of the German Design Act (DesignG), Handkommentar Designrecht
• Commentary on Art. 8 (3), (4) and (6) UMV in BeckOK UMV
• Handbook for Specialist Lawyers, Industrial Property Rights, Chapters 5 E and F, Trademark and Labeling Law, Geographical Indications of Origin and Protection against and of Internet Domains
• Handbook of Trademark Practice, Community Trademark Infringement Proceedings
• Various publications on current decisions, most recently, “Current problems of use preserving rights; GRUR-Prax 2025, 229ff., 263 ff., ”Use preserving rights for model cars with license notice (“FERRARI OFFICIAL LICENSED PRODUCT”)”, EuG GRUR-RS 2025, 14802 – TESTAROSSA; GRUR-Prax 2025, 541, “Boosting perceptions of origin in model cars through license notation, comment on OLG Hamburg GRUR-RS 2025, 9298 – VW Bulli II, GRUR-Prax 2025, 496; Similarity of goods between vehicles and vehicle-related electronics (class 9), comment on Federal Patent Court, GRUR-RS 2024, 37622 – GTI/GTA; Not necessarily bad faith when registering a third party’s well-known trademark, comment on BPatG, GRUR-RS 2025, 268 – testarossa.