Michael Turi

Michael Turi, a partner at Samson & Partner Patentanwälte mbB in Munich, has been named Trademark Expert of the Year in Germany at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2025. With more than three decades of experience as a German and European patent attorney, and as a European trademark attorney since the establishment of the Community trademark system, he is one of the most seasoned trademark practitioners in the German market.

Mr Turi has specialised extensively in trademark law since the early 1980s, building a practice that spans the entire life cycle of a brand's legal protection. His expertise covers the procurement of patents, trademarks and copyrights as well as the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including licensing, mediation, arbitration and litigation. This combination of registration and enforcement capability allows him to help clients not only secure their trademarks but also defend and commercialise them once granted.

His background, like that of many of his colleagues at the firm, is rooted in the sciences. He holds a diploma in physics from the University of Munich, where his thesis addressed medical optics. That technical grounding is characteristic of Samson & Partner's approach and enables its attorneys to understand the products and technologies behind the brands and inventions they protect — an advantage when trademark questions overlap with technical goods and services.

Trademark law occupies a distinctive place within intellectual property. A trademark is often among a company's most valuable assets, embodying the reputation and goodwill built up over years of trading, and protecting it requires both careful strategy at the registration stage and vigilance against infringement and dilution thereafter. Mr Turi's long experience allows him to guide clients on selecting and clearing marks, building and managing international trademark portfolios, and taking action where rights are threatened, whether through negotiation, alternative dispute resolution or litigation.

Samson & Partner provides a strong platform for this work. Based in Munich in direct proximity to the European Patent Office and the German Patent and Trademark Office, the firm brings together physicists, computer scientists, engineers and chemists who can assess and present what needs protecting in both technical and legal terms. Its trademark, patent and design practice has earned consistent international recognition, with the firm featuring over many years in leading rankings such as JUVE Patent, the IAM Patent 1000, IP Stars and the Financial Times' survey of Europe's leading patent law firms.

The firm's location and standing mean that its attorneys are closely engaged with the German and European intellectual property offices before which trademarks are registered and contested. For clients, that translates into practical, well-informed advice on how to navigate these systems efficiently and how to respond when disputes arise. Mr Turi's decades of practice give him a deep familiarity with the procedures and strategies that make the difference in trademark matters.

The Corporate INTL award recognises Michael Turi's exceptional experience and his contribution to the protection of brands in Germany and across Europe. For businesses seeking to secure, manage and defend their trademarks with the guidance of a long-established specialist, he offers counsel shaped by more than thirty years at the heart of the field and backed by the resources of one of Munich's leading intellectual property firms.