The US publisher Best Lawyers has once again worked with Handelsblatt to identify the best commercial lawyers in Germany for 2024. We are delighted that Dr. Ralph Oliver Graef has once again been recognized in the field of Entertainment Law (www.bestlaywers.com).
FOCUS Spezial 2024 recommends our law firm as a top law firm in the areas of media and press.
brand eins once again selects the best law firms in Germany for media law, press law and trademark law, and GRAEF Rechtsanwälte is once again in the front row in 2024. Thank you for your trust.
Media Law International ranks our firm in TIER 2 as follows: “GRAEF is one of the top law firms for entertainment law, media law and IP law. It focuses on clients from the film and television, book publishing, computer games, and live entertainment industries, and has an outstanding reputation for representing public figures and companies in the area of libel & slander. Managed by Ralph Oliver Graef, the firm has exceptional experience in the financing and production of national and international films and tv series, as well as the vetting of scripts and manuscripts. Additional specialties include the right to freedom of expression, litigation PR and data protection. Clients praise the team for its top-notch legal advice, its hands-on approach and its exceptionally high success rate in court.”
The decision deals with the requirements of the concept of a work of applied art and the distinction from design law; the case in question involved Birkenstock sandals. The background to the current proceedings concerning Birkenstock sandals before the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg and the Higher Regional Court of Cologne, and their diametrically opposed decisions in the instances, show how important it is to establish a uniform concept of work under European law. In particular, if objects were purely functional in their product history, copyright protection must be correctly denied.
The background to this was a 2018 ZDF film about abducted children. This shed light on two abduction cases from the perspective of a journalist involved in the liberations. ZDF also reported on the abduction of the then eight-year-old plaintiff, which ended with her release after a ransom was paid, mentioning her birth name. To illustrate this, ZDF used two photos of the plaintiff, which her parents had made available to the investigating authorities for a public search. In addition, the cover page of a magazine was shown on which the plaintiff was pictured with her mother after her release. The Federal Court of Justice sets the duty of care of the press to obtain consent to use the images extremely high – even more than 30 years after the crimes. Too high, in the opinion of Dr. Ralph Oliver Graef.
FOCUS Spezial 2023 recommends GRAEF Rechtsanwälte as a top law firm in the area of “Media and Press”. Our firm was “disproportionately recommended by colleagues”.
When things get complicated in terms of press law, we’re there. For freedom of the press and freedom of opinion. For the general right of personality. It’s not about winning at any price, it’s about balancing both basic rights appropriately.
Read more on FAZ.net – FAZ article as PDF
Read more on Sueddeutsche.de – SZ article as PDF
We are delighted to announce that Dr Ralph Oliver Graef has been recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany™ for his high caliber work in Entertainment Law and Prof. Dr. Christian Rauda for his high caliber work in Gaming Law (bestlawyers.com).
Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on a rigorous peer-review survey comprising over 650,000 confidential evaluations by attorneys in Germany. For more than 40 years, Best Lawyers has been regarded as the most credible measure of legal integrity and distinction and symbolizes excellence in practice.
In 2023 brand eins and research institute Statista once again recognized GRAEF Rechtsanwälte as one of the best business law firms in Germany for the areas of “Media, Press” and “Trademarks, Industrial Designs”. In the area of “Media/Press” we were one of only seven media law firms to receive the highest rating of 4 stars, and in the area of “Trademarks, Industrial Designs” we earned a very strong rating of 3 stars. The scores are based on surveys of fellow attorneys and clients. We are thrilled about the media & entertainment industry’s appreciation of our services.
It was a celebration for us. 10 years of the German Advertising Film Award. More colorful than ever. We wholeheartedly support the German advertising film producers and the Producers’ Alliance.
Gamesmarkt reports on this year’s Hamburg Games Conference.
Our highlight of the past Berlinale week: the film “Seneca”, in which Ralph Oliver Graef from our film team was involved as Associate Producer, and which had its premiere in the “Special Gala” series. As the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung rightly judged: “John Malkovich turns the dying monologue of the Roman philosopher Seneca into a stellar hour of acting.” You rock, John Malkovich.
Our specialist for personal rights accompaniment of film productions, Dr. Ralph Oliver Graef, at the Berlinale Moot Court. There we will discuss the possibilities and limits of fictional storytelling in the conflict between artistic freedom, personal rights and public interest.
You can meet the following companies at the Hamburg Games Conference on March 1 and 2 in Hamburg. We have many international guests, an exciting program over two days about “Invest in Games” as well as Meet2Match. Come and join us.
Amazing Maurice, based on the book from Terry Pratchett, and produced by Ulysses Filmproduktion has been selected by Sundance Film Festival 2023 and will be released in Germany this February. It was great to be part of this German-UK co-production. Thanks for the ride Ulysses, Cantilever, Sky, Narrativia et al.
We are pleased to have contributed to the handbook “Games und Recht” with our article on “Influencer Marketing and Influencer Contracts” (Ralph Oliver Graef). On more than 560 pages, there is concentrated legal know-how on the topics of publishing, marketing, business models, licenses, youth protection, data protection, copyright, employment contracts, trademark law and promotion.
FOCUS Spezial 2022 recommends GRAEF Rechtsanwälte as a top law firm in the area of “Media and Press”. Our firm was “disproportionately recommended by colleagues”.
As part of the Hamburg Film Festival, the following panel discussion will take place in the CinemaxX Dammtor on October 4, 2022 as part of the “All you need is Law” event series organized by MOIN Filmförder in cooperation with the media law firms GRAEF, UNVERZAGT and VON HAVE FEY:
Heads or tails: spoiled for choice?
Tax Credit vs. Investment Obligation
In the coalition agreement of the traffic light government, both models are equivalent. There are differences: Are tax incentive models the push the film industry needs or should the major streaming platforms be obliged to invest more in the German film market? Or is the solution perhaps somewhere in the middle? In short keynote speeches, Anne Baumgärtel from Deloitte and Klaus Goldhammer from Goldmedia provide an insight into the two models. While Baumgärtel discusses the advantages of the tax credits model, Goldhammer presents the results of his “platform study”, which supports the introduction of an investment obligation. Katharina Hiersemenzel (Constantin Film), Christian Sommer (Motion Picture Association) and Malte Grunert (Amusement Park Films) will then discuss. Ulrich Höcherl, publisher and editor-in-chief of Blickpunkt:Film (media partner), will moderate the event.
We are happy to support Series Lab Hamburg where 20 European producer-writer-teams with a TV drama series in development come together for script consultancies, networking and one-on-ones with international financiers. Series Lab is supported by ZDF Studios, Sky Deutschland, GRAEF Rechtsanwälte et. al.
We did it again… GRAEF Rechtsanwälte was named one of Germany’s best commercial law firms in the areas of media & press law and trademark law.
A long landmark case before the Hamburg Regional Court and the Hamburg Higher Regional Court comes to an end. Astrid Lindgren, author of the original Swedish song “Här kommer Pippi Långstrump,” becomes co-author of the German version “Hey, Pippi Longstocking,” powered by GRAEF Rechtsanwälte.
GRAEF Rechtsanwälte offers ‘excellent advice on data protection, trademark and copyright law’ and has ‘ immense expertise in media law, film, TV and video games’. Especially in relation to video games law, the practice is considered ‘one of Germany’s top boutiques‘. Ralph Oliver Graef’s team excels, among other matters, in assisting with numerous international motion picture productions and representing clients in proceedings pertaining to filming and music rights as well as copyright disputes.
Thank you for two days of insights, speeches, meeting industry experts and networking opportunities.
Legal 500 states: “GRAEF Rechtsanwälte offers ‘excellent advice on data protection, trademark and copyright law’ and has ‘immense expertise in media law, film, TV and video games’. Especially for video game law, the firm is considered ‘one of Germany’s top boutiques’. Ralph Oliver Graef‘s team is noted for, among other things, advising on many international feature film productions and representing clients in lawsuits over film rights, music rights and copyrights.“
Our clients have commented on our work as follows: “Communication with the GRAEF team is excellent. Responses are fast, brief, and concise, and solutions are always pragmatic. The team always works in a time-effective and solution-oriented manner.”
Media Law International ranks our firm as follows: “GRAEF is one of the top law firms for entertainment law, media law and IP law. It focuses on clients from the film and television, book publishing, computer games, and live entertainment industries, as well as on public figures. Managed by Ralph Oliver Graef, the firm has exceptional experience in the financing and production of national and international films, as well as the vetting of scripts and manuscripts. Additional specialties include the right to freedom of expression, litigation PR and data protection. Clients praise the team for its top-notch legal advice, its hands-on approach and its exceptionally high success rate in court.”
The Hamburg Games Conference 2022 is in the starting blocks. After the great success of our online conference in 2021, we are planning a hybrid event for 2022 and are looking forward to many international participants in addition to the national participants.
In an interview with MAX, Dr. Ralph Oliver Graef (GRAEF Rechtsanwälte) classifies the legal aspects of the new ARD series “Legal Affairs,” which takes us into the world of media lawyers, the shallows of the boulevard and popcorn press law.
