Johannes Fuhrmann is a Partner at BomhardIP (Alicante) with a focus on EU trademark and design prosecution and enforcement.
In 2018, he has been recognized by Managing IP as a Rising Star in its first official Rising Stars publication. Since 2020, he is included in the World Trademark Review 1000 as one of the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals.
Being based in Alicante since 2011, he is an expert in all kinds of EUTM proceedings, with a special interest in the protection and enforcement of Non- Traditional Trade marks.
Advising our international clients in complex multijurisdictional matters as well as the enforcement of famous marks is his specialty. He also has extensive experience in relation to trade mark portfolio management, searching, filing and prosecuting trade marks and designs throughout Europe and worldwide. Also, having actively handled more than a dozen proceedings before the General Court and the European Court of Justice, in Trade mark as well as Design matters, he is very experienced in this very unique type of proceedings.
Johannes has experience in advising clients from various jurisdictions and industry sectors with particular expertise in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, telecommunication, food and beverage and toy industries.
He authors in one of the leading German commentaries on EU trade mark law and regularly publishes on EU trade mark and design topics.
Johannes holds a doctorate in law from the University of Cologne (Germany) as well as an LL.M. (adv.) in Public International Law from Leiden University (The Netherlands). During his legal clerkship he worked at German courts and law firms, at the German Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, as well as at an international law firm in Alicante that he later joined as a lawyer. In the summer of 2013 he gained in-house experience working as a secondee at one of Europe’s largest telecommunication providers.
He currently chairs the MARQUES European Trademark Law and Practice Team and is an active member of the INTA’s Famous and Well-Known Marks Committee.
Apart from his native German, Johannes speaks English and Spanish and has a basic knowledge of French and Italian.
When he is not working or playing with his two sons, Johannes likes to travel, cook and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities that Alicante has to offer.
Education
2011: Doctorate Degree, bar admission
2009 – 2011: Legal clerkship
2005 – 2006: Leiden University (The Netherlands) – LL.M. (adv.) in Public International Law
2001 – 2004: University of Cologne (Germany)
2000 – 2001: University of Padua (Italy)
1998 – 2000: University of Trier (Germany)
Work Experience
Since March 2015: BomhardIP
2011 – 2015: Hogan Lovells, Alicante, Spain
Memberships
INTA, GRUR, MARQUES, PTMG
Recent Publications
Markenrecht (Albrecht / Kur / v. Bomhard), Munich 2017 – Also: Beck’scher Online Kommentar Markenrecht, frequent updates
General Court: car shape found not registerable (decision of 25 November 2015, case T-629/14) (here)
Recent Speaking Engagements
2024, September – MARQUES Annual Conference – You can explore market realities at EUIPO
2024, May – INTA Annual Meeting: Table Topic: Non-Traditional Trademarks in Europe revisited. Six Years After the Reform – where are we?
2024, April – EUIPO – Tripartite Meeting with General Court Judges and EUIPO Board of Appeal Members: The art of trademark clearance – The difficulty of securing protection of “weak marks” in Europe
2023, March – MARQUES Spring Team Meeting: Workshop: What’s new at the EUIPO: All you need to know about ongoing Convergence Programs, recent case law or practice changes
2022, May – INTA Annual Meeting: Table Topic: Re-Filings and Bad Faith in the EU
2021, October – EUIPO – IP Course for Paralegals – New challenges in protecting brands in the online environment
2021, May – Strafford, CLE Seminar on “Meeting Distinctiveness Requirements for International Trademarks”
2019, October – IPKey, Buenos Aires and Rosario, Argentina, Seminario – Argentina Exporta: beneficios y ventajas que ofrece la protección International de las marcas, diseños y modelos industriales
2018, September – Marques Annual Conference, Paris, France [CJEU and General Court Case Law in 2017/2018]
2018, May – INTA Annual Meeting: Table Topic: New Challenges for Non-Traditional Marks in the EU.
2018, March – Pharmaceutical Trademark Group (PTMG), 96th Conference, Porto (Portugal), International Case Round-Up
2017, January – EUIPO Tertulia: Onus of Proof in EUIPO proceedings, Alicante, Spain
2016, May – INTA Annual Meeting: Table Topic: Suggestive Signs in Pharmaceutical Trademarks
Contact
Phone
Vcard
Rankings & Awards
WIPR Leaders 2024 Spain – here
2024 MIP IP Stars – Notable Practitioner – here
2024 WTR 1000 (Silver Ranking: “Johannes Fuhrmann has been specialising in EU trademark and design law for almost 15 years. He has extensive experience in administrative proceedings at the EUIPO and before the European Courts.”) – Social card here
2024 Best Lawyers in Spain – here
2023 Best Lawyers in Spain – here
WIPR Leaders 2023 Spain – here
2023 MIP IP Stars – here
2023 WTR 1000 (Silver Ranking: “Johannes Fuhrmann is incredibly experienced with a clear and concise communication style that is matched by a creative and business-focused approach.”) – Social card here
2022 WTR 1000 (Silver Ranking: “Johannes Fuhrmann’s responsiveness, concise communication style, and strong business focus mean his counsel is always clear and actionable.”) – Social card here
2021 WTR 1000 (Bronze Ranking: “Johannes Fuhrmann quarterbacks major cross-border trademark matters with finesse and is a repository of trust for many household name brand.”) – Social card here
2020 WTR 1000 (Bronze Ranking: “Johannes Fuhrmann has a talent for simplifying what is complex and getting satisfying results for his clients. He demonstrates mastery when it comes to the enforcement of non-traditional trademarks and manages large portfolio across borders with finesse.”) – Social card here
2018 MIP IP Stars: “Johannes Fuhrmann is a notable rising star in the firm.”
2018 ACRITAS STAR LAWYER: Acritas Stars, an independent and global lawyer ranking system of client-nominated stand-out lawyers in private practice, has recognized Johannes Fuhrmann again in annual rankings.
2017 ACRITAS STAR LAWYER: “He’s very personable, very good with the clients; he’s very good about explaining complex legal concepts to the business people well, very accessible, good results. He’s good at achieving good results in the cases that he’s working on”