Cornelia Schmitt

Admitted to the Bar, Certified IP lawyer

cschmitt@grunecker.de     S/MIME

+49 (0) 89 21 23 50

Office: Munich

Languages: German, English, French

Expertise

Cornelia Schmitt advises on trademark and competition law. She supports clients in developing and protecting trademarks and their defence and enforcement before the DPMA, the EUIPO, the German courts and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. She also provides comprehensive advice on competition law issues.

A particular focus of her work is providing strategic advice to international companies on the development of efficient out-of-court conflict solutions. She has extensive experience in enforcing well-known and non-traditional trademarks and regularly represents clients in complex proceedings before courts and authorities. Cornelia also specialises in product piracy and counterfeiting.

Her clients include international corporations from various industries. Cornelia Schmitt is the contact person for some of the leading tech companies from Silicon Valley.

Cornelia Schmitt has been involved with INTA (International Trademark Association) since 2004, serving on committees, organising conferences and developing training programs.

She is the mother of two children and a passionate skier.

Areas

  • Trademark Law
  • Trademark Infringement
  • Competition Law

Key points

  • Technology companies
  • Outdoor/Sports
  • Pharmaceuticals/medical products
  • Media
  • Financial institutions
  • Food

Vita

  • Study of law at the Universities of Trier, Thessaloniki (Greece) and Cologne, 1993-1998
  • Legal clerkship at the Regional Court of Düsseldorf, 1999-2001
  • Authorized to practice law, 2002
  • Attorney-at-Law with a law firm specializing in IP in Cologne, 2002-2003
  • Attorney-at-Law with Grünecker, since 2003
  • Specialist attorney for intellectual property law, 2012
  • Associate Partner at Grünecker, since 2023

Lectures

Panel: „Is Fair Use Always Fair?”
Project team leader and speaker INTA Annual Meeting, 2015

Panel: “The EU Trademark Reform” and “Alternative IP Rights as a Means of Protecting Logos and Designs Globally”
Co-chair and speaker INTA TMAP Meeting, 2016

Panel: “How Innovation Is Changing the IP Industry”
Project team and speaker INTA Conference “Brands and Innovation”, 2018

“Enforcement and Anticounterfeiting”
Project team leader and speaker INTA Annual Meeting, 2021

“The Lifecycle of a Trademark”
Speaker at the INTA International Certificate Program, 2023

Awards & Rankings

Bronze – Germany – Individuals
“Cornelia is a fantastic and trustworthy attorney.”
“Very responsive, smart and a hugely important part of the Grünecker team.”, World Trademark Review (WTR), 2023

Core Attorney – Trademark Law (Tier 1), Legal500, 2023

Recommended; IP – Trademarks – Germany, Who’s Who Legal, 2024

Leading Attorney-at-law in her field, Handelsblatt and Best Lawyers, edition 2024

Leading attorney in her field, Handelsblatt and Best Lawyers, 2025 edition