Der Schutz grafischer Gebrauchsgestaltungen

The work discusses the protection of graphic-communicative forms of use, through copyright-, design-, trademark- and competition law. Pictorial symbols and graphical designs have been means of visual communication since ancient times. Even today, advertising graphics, pictograms or business signs are used in daily communication to convey messages. The study examines the legal protection of such forms of communication. While copyright law can be identified as the primary institution of protection, the question of the relationship to and the distinction from design law is also examined, and the question of an independent protection of the communication value conveyed by a sign via trademark law is addressed.