Henning Harte-Bavendamm advises and represents domestic and foreign companies in intellectual property law and related matters. He specialises in trademark law, copyright law, competition and antitrust law, information technology as well as licensing and distribution law.
Since January 2024, Henning is associated with the law firm he founded in 2008 as "of counsel". He continues to provide strategic advice and legal opinions on selected matters. He also stays involved in arbitration proceedings, both as a party-appointed arbitrator and as chairman. The arbitration work includes intellectual property law and unfair competition law as well as various other areas of law, such as certain areas of energy law and corporate law.
Henning was chairman of the expert committee for competition and trade mark law of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR) for 20 years and is an honorary professor at the University of Osnabrück.
He is co-editor and co-author of a commentary on the German Unfair Competition Act (Harte-Bavendamm/Henning-Bodewig, 5th ed. 2021), a commentary on the German Trade Secrets Act (Harte-Bavendamm/Ohly/Kalbfus, 2nd ed. 2024) and editor and co-author of a handbook on combating trade mark piracy in Europe (2000).
As a co-author, Henning is involved in a number of other legal publications, including the Handbook of Competition Law (Gloy/Loschelder/Danckwerts, 5th ed. 2019) and the Pfaff/Osterrieth,form commentary, Licence Agreements (4th ed. 2018). He has also published numerous articles on trade mark law and copyright law, antitrust law, unfair competition law and software matters.
Henning studied law in Hamburg and was admitted to the bar in 1976. In 1981, he became a partner in one of the leading German IP law firms (Droste), which later merged with other German law firms and eventually became part of the international law firm Lovells. From 2003 to 2007, Henning was a partner at Allen & Overy before founding the law firm HARTE-BAVENDAMM Rechtsanwälte with two younger partners in 2008.
Since 2008: Partner at HARTE-BAVENDAMM Rechtsanwälte (since 2024 Of Counsel)
2003 – 2008: Partner at Allen & Overy, Hamburg
2000 – 2003: Partner at Lovells Boesebeck Droste, Hamburg
1981 – 2000: Partner at Droste Pietzcker Sprick Ohlgart & Klosterfelde, Hamburg
1977: Doctorate, University of Hamburg
1975: Second state examination, Hamburg
1973: First state examination, Hamburg
1968 – 1973: Studies of law in Hamburg
Editor/Co-Author
- Harte/Henning, UWG Commentary, 5. ed. 2021
- Harte-Bavendamm/Ohly/Kalbfus, Trade Secrets Act,Commentary, 2020
- Harte-Bavendamm: Handbook of Trade Mark Piracy in Europe (2000)
Co-author
- Gloy/Loschelder/Erdmann (eds.): Handbook of Competition Law, 5th ed. 2016
- Pfaff/Osterrieth (ed.): Licence agreements, 4th ed. 2018
- Bruhn (ed.): Handbuch Markenführung, 2nd ed. 2004
- Rüster (Hrsg.): World intellectual Property Handbook (Germany), 1991
- Articles and lectures on trade mark, competition, distribution and software law
Essays / Lectures
- The Concept of Trade Secrets under Harmonised Law, Festschrift for Wolfgang Büscher, 2018, 311.
- Reform of secrecy protection: is rescue from Brussels imminent? Festschrift for Helmut Köhler, 2014, 217.
- Stuttgart21 - copyright follow-up questions to a (failing?) construction project, Festschrift for Joachim Bornkamm, 2014, 783.
- European trade mark law - clarification of important questions of rights-preserving use, GRUR-Newsletter 1/2012, 12
- Abandonment of the alternative accumulation of claims in intellectual property law (comment on BGH GRUR 2011, 1043 - TÜV II), GRUR 2011, 1048
- Consumer protection under competition law in the world of "look-alikes", Festschrift for Michael Loschelder, 2010, 111
- The company trademark under the influence of the harmonisation of trademark law, Festschrift for Alexander von Mühlendahl, 2005, 23 (with M. Goldmann)
- Search engines: New offers and old liability issues? Festschrift for Gerhard Schricker, 2005, 33 (with U. Jürgens)
- The Commission's Draft Directive on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, in: Schriftenreihe des Europa-Kollegs Hamburg zur Integrationsforschung, Vol. 43 (2004), 129
- The Proposal for a Directive on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, Festschrift for Winfried Tilmann, 2003, 793
- New developments in the assessment of selective distribution systems, WRP 2003, 682 (with A. Kreutzmann)
- The work on a directive on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, MarkenR 2002, 382
- Favourable winds for selective distribution, Festschrift for Willi Erdmann, 2002, 571
- Recent Developments in Trademark Law in Germany, Intellectuele Eigendom & Reclamerecht 2001, 93 and MarkenR 2001, 282
- Geographical Indications and Trademarks: Harmony or Conflict? Proceedings of the "Symposium on the International Protection of Geographical Indications" (WIPO/GEO/CPT/99/6) of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, 2002
Chambers Europe
- “Henning is a grand seigneur in the German IP market. There is hardly anyone who knows more and can say or write it more elegantly than Henning.” (Senior Statespeople, Chambers Global 2023)
- “The ‚standout‘ Henning Harte-Bavendamm has an excellent market reputation in the intellectual property space” (Senior Statespeople, Chambers Global 2022)
- „‚very influential in the IP community everywhere'“ (2017)
World Trademark Review (WTR)
- The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, Germany – Gold Band (WTR1000 2023)
- Leading Individual TM enforcement and litigation – Band 1: „indisputably belongs in the gold tier, a huge name on the litigation scene“ (WTR1000 2014)
JUVE
- Leading adviser in trade mark law and competition law (2022/2023)
IP Stars
- „Trademark Star“ (2023)
Legal 500
- Hall of Fame (2023)
