The commercial law firm Orth Kluth has successfully represented the French battery manufacturer Saft SAS in the legal defense of its trademarks. The company has made the defense of its trademarks a top priority and, together with Orth Kluth, prevailed against traders of counterfeit goods before the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court.

In the current proceedings before the Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main, Batterien-Vertrieb Winfried Hückmann GmbH, based in Salz near Schweinfurt, was successfully sued at the defendant’s expense for injunctive relief, information, damages and reimbursement of costs, but also with the less frequently pursued claims for recall and removal from the distribution channels and publication of the judgment. The recall and removal from the distribution channels, the seizure and destruction of the counterfeit products and the publication of the judgment are of particular importance to ensure that the counterfeit products are effectively removed from the market. In addition, customers are informed and future imitators are effectively deterred. This is important for companies, as low-quality counterfeit products obtained from unknown sources in particular can cause safety problems for users and consumers.

The French Saft Group specializes in the most advanced battery solutions for industrial applications: from design and development to production, customized applications and service development. For almost 100 years, Saft has been supplying its customers with long-life batteries and battery systems for safety-critical applications, back-up power and electric and hybrid drives. The innovative, safe and reliable technologies deliver top performance in space, in water, in the air and on land. Saft supplies industrial areas and smart cities with energy and also ensures critical emergency power supplies under the most extreme environmental conditions, from the Arctic to the Sahara.

Saft is taking decisive action against the phenomenon of brand piracy, which most well-known manufacturers are now confronted with. Saft protects its brands not only within the European Union, but also internationally – through local legal measures and active cooperation with customs authorities. Orth Kluth has been supporting Saft SAS for several years in matters of trademark infringement and has already successfully brought several cases against traders of counterfeit goods.

Orth Kluth’s IP team led by Düsseldorf partner Dr. Ulla Kelp and senior associate Laura Delpy successfully represented the long-standing client in these proceedings as well.

The rubric and operative part of the judgment were published in the FAZ on 09.12.2023.