Dipl.-Chem. Dr. rer. nat. Ralf Sieckmann

Ralf Sieckmann is German and European Patent and Trade Marks Attorney, now Patentanwalt i.R.. He has studied Chemistry and Economics and Law. Ralf obtained his diploma (M.Sc.) and his doctoral thesis (Ph.D) at Ruhr-University Bochum, passed German Patent Attorneys Examination, the European Qualifying Examination and entered into EUIPO list. Ralf was admitted as patent attorney in 1990, in 1994 till the end of 2021 joined Cohausz Hannig Borkowski Wißgott, Duesseldorf and since 2022 to the end of 2023 works as a Patent Attorney in Ratingen.

He’s working for more than 30 years in industrial property rights protection, specialized in patent and trade mark law; management consultancy in IP (patent and trade mark strategies). Specialities: trade marks including new media, chemistry, pharmacy, chemical engineering and related non mechanical fields. Ralf was lecturer on industrial property at Duesseldorf University for Applied Sciences, School of Arts from 1997 to 2001, and at School of Electrical Engineering from 2009 to 2012 teaching IP (patents,  trade mark, design) to under-graduate students and regularly speaks on trade mark and patents topics. He was Referee @ North Rhine-Westphalia regional competition instance of Youth Researchers (Jugend forscht) between 2004 and 2017.

He is Co-author of BUSINESS ANGELS (2002), Lesson on Trade Mark Law in INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (2006 - 2012), Sound Trade and Service Marks – Legal aspects in AUDIO BRANDING (2009), technical coordinator of INTERNATIONALES MARKENRECHT (2007, 2008), Co-author of Lessons on Madrid Agreement and Protocol, Community Trade Marks after Publication.

Ralf provides information on non-traditional trademarks worldwide since 2003 after Landmark Judgment of 12 December 2002 in Case C-273/00, (Ralf Sieckmann vs DPMA) on graphic representability of national trade marks and EUTM. This archive has the function to inform and help IP professionals and students in the field of law and economics writing their thesis on this subject matter. It includes comments, books and case law on the said decision and an annual compilation of the said Non-Traditional Trademarks published at the beginning of every year.

He is member of GDCh (German Chemists Society, IP Division) and of other IP-related associations.