Oliver Nilgen advises and represents national and international clients in the entire spectrum of trademark, competition, copyright, media and design law as well as in commercial, corporate and contract law.
Oliver Nilgen has been involved for many years, among other things, as a member of the design team at MARQUES, a European interest group for trademark owners, and in the GRUR design committee. Within the scope of his committee activities, he has been intensively involved, among other things, with the proposals of the European Commission on the upcoming design law reform.
Due to his many years of experience, his commitment and his in-depth knowledge, Mr. Nilgen is a sought-after expert and the contact person for clients for all questions of trademark and design law.
His activities include strategic trademark counseling, contract negotiations and representation of trademark owners in all proceedings before the Offices and the European Court of Justice. The focus of his forensic practice ranges from short-term, pragmatic out-of-court advice to the judicial enforcement of complex trademark and design infringements, including measures of interim relief. In addition, he assists numerous clients in border seizure cases.
Oliver Nilgen was admitted to the bar in 2007 and joined Meissner Bolte in 2008.
Presentations
12 March 2021
“The decline in trademark protection due to lack of use in Germany and the EU and well-known trademarks”
Virtual “study visit” on the subject of intellectual property - by IRZ
Blog-Posts/Newsletter
Trademark Dispute Over "FoFoCup - Just fold it!" and Nike's Appeal
Open post
Publications
Festschrift aus Anlass des 125-jährigen Bestehens des Patentanwaltsberufs
Nilgen, Oliver: Wie viele Nutzer braucht es zur Beurteilung der Nichtigkeit eines Designs? Zur Einführung eines außenstehenden Beobachters (EuGH, Urteil vom 16. Februar 2023, Az. C-472/21), in: Fitzner (ed.), Festschrift aus Anlass des 125-jährigen Bestehens des Patentanwaltsberufs, 1st ed. 2025, p. 547-560
Open publication
Comments of the GRUR Committee for Design Law on the request for a Preliminary Ruling in Case C-323/24 – Deity Shoes
Attorney at law Andreas Haberl, attorney at law Eva Maierski and attorney at law Oliver Nilgen, GRUR 2025, 297, 06.02.2025
Case C-323/24
Open PDF
Lack of distinctiveness of a word/figurative mark for alcoholic beverages
Lawyer Oliver Nilgen, Meissner Bolte, Munich
GRUR-Prax 2025, 11 (in German language)
Open publication
Comments of the GRUR Committee for Design Law on the Request for a Preliminary Ruling in Case C-211/24 – LEGO A/S v. Pozitív Energiaforrás Kft
Henning Hartwig, Oliver Nilgen, Comments of the GRUR Committee for Design Law on the Request for a Preliminary Ruling in Case C-211/24 – LEGO A/S v. Pozitív Energiaforrás Kft, GRUR International, 2024;, ikae137, doi.org/10.1093/grurint/ikae137
Open publication
Panoramic: Trademarks 2025 – Germany
Contributor Oliver Nilgen
Zur urheberrechtlichen Zulässigkeit der Nutzung von Fotografien
Oliver Nilgen, GRUR-Prax 21/2024, S. 681, BGH 11.9.2024 - | ZR 140/23, GRUR 2024
Open publication
GRUR-Pax 2024, 382: Wirksame Vertreterbestellung in Widerspruchsverfahren vor dem EUIPO
Open publication
GRUR-Pax 2024, 198: Zu den Voraussetzungen für die wirksame Inanspruchnahme der Priorität einer PCT-Anmeldung für eine Gemeinschaftsgeschmacksmusteranmeldung
Open publication
EuGH-Vorlage zur Information über Art der Preisberechnung bei verbrauchsabhängiger Preisgestaltung
Published in German language
Open publication
No private copying exception without right to fair compensation for broadcasting organisations
This article was first published on Lexis+ UK on 17/07/2023
Open publication
Court of Justice rules that the broadcasting state principle also applies to satellite package provider
This article was first published by LexisPSL on 12 June 2023
Staatlich genehmigte Gesellschaft der Autoren, Komponisten und Musikverleger Reg Gen nbH (AKM) v Canal+ Luxembourg Sàrl Case C-290/21
GRUR-Prax 2023, 333: LG München I, Keine privilegierte Zeichennutzung durch "M4 Optik" für Fahrzeugteile
GRUR-Prax 2023, 313: BGH, Vermeidbare Herkunftstäuschung bei Produktverpackungen
Pharmaceutical Trademarks: A Global Guide 2020/2021
Chapter „Germany" (co-author), World Trademark Review
Open publication
Author of the chapter „Copyright in Germany“
published in Getting the Deal Through
Open publication
GRUR-Prax 2018, 330: Review of Decision of the German Federal Patent Court (BPatG), Letter „M“ not descriptive for sports cars
Open publication
GRUR-Prax 2018, 119: Review of Decision of the Court of Justice, January 24, 2018 in case C-634/16 P - EUIPO/European Food SA - FITNESS
Open publication
Uphill battle for protection of 3D confectionary marks
published in World Trademark Review, issue December 2017 / January 2018, edited by IP Media Group
Open publication
Unfair competition remains tough to call for design cases
published in World Trademark Review, issue June/July 2017, edited by IP Media Group
Open publication
Kommerzielle Teilhabeoptionen an Olympia – Zur Reichweite des Schutzes olympischer Bezeichnungen und Embleme
MarkenR 2016 Heft 9, 440-445 (with Armin Hans) [„commercial participation in the Olympic Games – the scope of protection of olympic designations and emblem
Pharmaceutical Trademarks: A Global Guide 2017/2018
Chapter „Germany“ (Co-Author), World Trademark Review
Co-Author Unfair Trading Practices, Chapter „Germany“, The Comparative Law Yearbook of International Business
Wolters Kluwer, Special Issue 2016
Abmahnungen im Internet
Hrsg. Sitter/Solmecke, Co-author of the chapters "Direktmarketing durch unverlangte Werbung", "Haftung von Marketplacehändlern für Angebote bei Amazon" and "Streaming", Deubner Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
Für’n Apple und’n i(Pad)?
published in Read Me! Customer Magazine of KOMMA Werbeagentur, isue 06, 2014
Think before you post
published in IPPro The Internet, Conference Special 2014
A German perspective on pharmaceutical protection
published in World Trademark Review, issue February/March 2014, edited by IP Media Group
Open publication
