Copyright and Media Law

Copyrights in the digital era:
Chance and risk at the same time.

Copyright and Media Law

Unlike a patent or a trade mark, the author’s right does not arise from the entry in a register, but already from the creation of the work. A relevant exception are photographs and moving images (videos), which already confer comprehensive protection on the photographer without any special originality being required (so-called ancillary copyright).

Whereas for decades copyright law primarily protected the novelist from a pirated print or from the takeover of his or her intellectual creation, the focus has shifted significantly with digitalisation. With today’s forms of communication (Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, TikTok), market participants not only reach their audience much faster, but above all with such a high reach and transparency that copyright infringement can be detected very easily – opportunity and risk at the same time! For as easy as it is today to create an appealing advertisement with images found on the internet, the danger is that this image is protected by copyright. Not only is there the threat of a cost-intensive warning notice, but also, and above all, of a hefty claim for damages in the four-digit range. If the photographer was not named, the amount of damages is doubled by the so-called infringer’s surcharge. We help you to work legally cleanly in this area right from the start. At the same time, we know the ways to defend you against claims.

In addition to photographic works, moving images are of great importance today. Even short sequences in the social media channel or on the website are subject to copyright protection and may not simply be used by third parties. The damage here can be considerable (especially when using double content). Films and recordings of stage plays, concerts or sporting events are now important and expensive assets that are quickly used by third parties for their own benefit and without authorisation. In addition to injunctive relief, the author is entitled to considerable damages.

An important part of our work is agreements on the granting of rights of use, in particular between authors and clients, but also in employment relationships or contracts of employment. The complex rules of copyright contract law require an intensive knowledge of the law, which has recently changed again and again. We accompany contract negotiations both nationally and across borders.

Measured in terms of its practical importance, copyright law today is one of the most important components of media law, which in turn is characterised by the protection of the right of personality. In the past, it was the magazine against which celebrities successfully defended themselves because of a fictitious interview. Today, it is the untruthful rating on Google, cyberbullying or defamatory advertising that requires quick intervention to avert harm. Especially in media law, the procedural legal institution of the preliminary injunction is of paramount importance, i.e. the prompt obtaining of a prohibition order against the infringer.

Lawyers of Copyright and Media Law

Dr. Andreas Sasdi

Lawyer| Partner
Specialist lawyer for intellectual property law
Specialist lawyer for commercial and corporate law

+49 711 953 382 10 sasdi[at]dornkamp.de

Dr. Benjamin Stillner

Lawyer | Partner
Specialist lawyer for intellectual property law
Specialist lawyer for IT law

+49 711 953 382 35 stillner[at]dornkamp.de

Christopher Herwig

Lawyer | Senior Associate
Specialist lawyer for intellectual property law
Specialist lawyer for IT law

+49 711 953 382 34 herwig[at]dornkamp.de

Benjamin Krahmer

Lawyer | Partner
Specialist lawyer for intellectual property rights

+49 711 953 382 22 krahmer[at]dornkamp.de

Susanne Krell

Lawyer | Counsel
Diplom-Betriebswirtin (FH)

0711 95 33 82-0 krell[at]dornkamp.de

Prof. Dr. Felix Buchmann

Lawyer | Partner
Specialist lawyer for IT law
Specialist lawyer for copyright and media law
Specialist lawyer for commercial and corporate law
Certified data protection officer (TÜV Süd)
Certified executor (AGT)

+49 711 953 382 15 buchmann[at]dornkamp.de

Roman Ronneburger

Lawyer | Partner
Specialist lawyer for copyright and media law

+49 30 814 862 92 ronneburger[at]dornkamp.de