The Swiss Federal Constitution states that the freedom of art is guaranteed. However, this does not mean that it operates in a legal vacuum, even if it may often feel that way. Artists and fashion companies, for example, must observe intellectual property, competition law, cultural property and data protection laws. Those who are unfamiliar with these issues can often find themselves on thin ice.
Registering a trademark or design is a basic requirement for protecting your intellectual property. Many mistakes can be made in the very formal application procedures. We find the right strategies, take care of the applications and accompany you through the rest of the process.
We have decades of experience in the defence of intellectual property rights. We enforce claims for our clients in the event of infringement of trade mark and other intellectual property rights.
Many agreements in the creative industry are made more informally than in other business areas. We help to regulate contractual relationships in a clear and legally compliant manner – from the model release to the general terms and conditions.
If you want to commercialise intellectual property rights, there is no getting around cooperation with third parties. We advise and support you when IP rights are to be transferred or licenced. We look for the best utilisation options for you.
Artists and fashion designers have to observe extensive compliance regulations, from textile labelling and supply chain tracking to money laundering. We help you keep an overview.
If you are not taking care of your trade marks, you are weakening yourself. The registration of similar or identical trade marks by third parties dilutes your own trade mark rights. Regular monitoring of the registers counteracts this. In most cases, collisions can be easily avoided. We offer monitoring services.
Founding a company without first searching for relevant prior rights of third parties can have unpleasant consequences. There is a risk of losing all your investment in brand development. We search for prior rights and carry out risk analyses – even before registration.
Artists must respect the personal rights of others. This includes the right to one’s own image and the FADP. Data protection regulations must also be observed when processing contracts.
We prepare legal opinions on all issues relating to intellectual property, competition law, distribution law and examine business concepts for feasibility.
The latest study by CRIF AG shows a slight decline in the debtor rate in Switzerland to 5.5%. Nevertheless, the risk of payment defaults remains for online retailers. Find out how you can secure your business with effective credit checks and strong general terms and conditions while complying with data protection regulations.
General crime in Switzerland has risen again - but particularly dramatically in the digital space. Cybercrime has more than doubled in just a few years and is becoming a key challenge for private individuals and companies. In view of this dynamic, preventive measures are essential. The following article analyses the current figures and shows how companies can protect themselves effectively.
From 1 October 2025, landlords in certain cantons will be obliged to disclose more detailed information on the previous rent for new tenancies. This measure by the Federal Council aims to increase transparency on the rental market and enable tenants to better assess the initial rent.
The risk classification under the AI Act determines the obligations and requirements for companies using AI in their operations or products. In this article, we explain how the various risk classes are structured and how you can determine which category the AI-tools used or developed by you fall into.
The various votes in recent years have shown that sustainability and environmental protection are concerns of the population. The Federal Council is therefore moving forward, which is why significant changes to the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) will come into force in Switzerland from 1 April 2025. These reforms are aimed at speeding up the clean-up of contaminated sites and tightening up prosecution in the environmental sector. Companies and authorities are therefore faced with new challenges and responsibilities. We reported in detail on reporting obligations in the area of sustainability in our last ESG Update Insight.
From 1 May 2025, new rules for road freight transport will come into force in Switzerland. These are aimed at preventing bogus companies in Switzerland and ensuring fairer competition. Affected companies should familiarise themselves with the changes at an early stage to ensure compliance and avoid sanctions.
In a presentation at the University of Bern on 22 August 2023, I explained the modalities regarding data security and reporting obligations under the DPA and the ISG in procurement. Now there is something to report again in this area: From 1 April 2025, operators of critical infrastructure in Switzerland will be obliged to report cyberattacks suffered to the Federal Office for Cybersecurity (BACS) within 24 hours of their discovery. This measure is intended to strengthen cyber security and increase the resilience of essential services. We showed that this is necessary in the Insight of 31 December 2024, in which we reported on the high number of cyber incidents in Switzerland (every 8.5 minutes!). The current article explains the background to the new reporting obligation, the legal basis, the sectors affected and the practical implications, and provides recommendations for action for companies and authorities.
The ESG regulatory environment continues to evolve: the first "Omnibus Simplification Package" aims to simplify reporting obligations and regulatory requirements for companies in the EU. But what is behind the changes? What impact will this have on companies in Switzerland and where do challenges still lurk? We analyse the key points of the reform and report on the relevance for Swiss companies.
The mortgage reference interest rate in Switzerland was lowered to 1.5 percent as of 3 March 2025. This adjustment will have a direct impact on rents in the country. Find out what rights and opportunities this gives tenants and how they can benefit from this change.
The debate surrounding the monetisation of video games has long since become a core issue within the gaming world. For some time now, the focus has primarily been on all forms of loot boxes. However, the constant evolution of technology, society, and the economy has introduced a challenger to loot boxes as a prevalent and long-term monetisation system: the Battle Pass.
In its judgment of 4 October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that an apology may be sufficient as reasonable compensation for non-material damage under Art. 82 GDPR (ECJ, judgment of 4.10.2024, Ref. C-507/23).
The storage and use of credit rating data is subject to strict data protection regulations. The use of creditworthiness data by companies can take place in two directions: On the one hand, companies access creditworthiness information in order to assess risks when awarding contracts. On the other hand, they themselves report data to SCHUFA Holding AG in order to provide the overall system with information.
