We have provided founders and startup companies with comprehensive patent and trademarks advice for more than 10 years. We do this in close cooperation with the founding organizations behind the businesses, for example with the UnternehmerTUM (Centre for Innovation and Business Creation) at the Technical University of Munich.
We regularly hold lectures and workshops for students, graduate students and company founders on the basic issues surrounding patent law, trademark law and design protection that they are likely to come across as their business grows. We also explain the more practical procedures they'll need to undertake, for example how to carry out a meaningful patent search.
We also provide all of the advice and support founders need to protect their ideas, most particularly on how best to apply for a patent application as that is fundamental to the successful launch of a technology-driven startup.
One of the regular themes we come up against during these consultations is the age old chicken-and-egg dilemma. While a patent is crucial to the early founding stage to protect an idea from imitators, it is comparatively expensive process and there is often little money available at the birth of a business and the money that is available is needed for other investments required to lead to growth of the startup.
However, when capital finally becomes available, for example after a successful round of financing, it is quite often too late to obtain broad patent protection. The product being marketed by the startup will, by then, already be in the market, or if not, will have been published, either of which will rule out the possibility of patent protection.
To deal with this contradiction, Prinz & Partner has developed a unique support program, in cooperation with the UnternehmerTUM, which makes it possible to obtain comprehensive patent protection at the outset of the founding phase.
Under the scheme everyone participating in the support program receives access to the information and advice they need on any issues relating to patent and trademark law. Additionally, we offer the possibility of helping them make an early patent application under preferential terms when the business needs it most: at the beginning.
The support program is available to any founder team or startup company supervised by UnternehmerTUM. If the support program is of interest to you, let us know and we will be pleased to provide further information.
Thomas Kitzhofer
Dipl.-Ing.
Patent Attorney, European Patent and Trademark AttorneyJochen Sties
Dipl.-Ing., LL.M.
Patent Attorney, European Patent and Trademark AttorneyTim Hülsheger
Dipl.-Phys.
Patent Attorney, European Patent and Trademark AttorneyDr. Adrian Kleinheyer
Attorney-at-law, Certified IP AttorneyUte Feldmann
Pharmacist, LL.M.
Patent Attorney, European Patent and Trademark Attorney