Dr. Katharina Schmid

schmid-ip, the Vienna-based intellectual property practice founded and owned by attorney Dr. Katharina Schmid, has been named Trademark Law Firm of the Year in Austria at the 2024 Corporate INTL Global Awards. The recognition reflects the firm's focused approach to protecting the brands and intellectual property of its clients in the Austrian and wider European markets.

Dr. Katharina Schmid practises as a Rechtsanwältin, or attorney at law, and leads the firm as its owner. She has built schmid-ip around a single, clear purpose: intelligent protection for intellectual property. Trademark law sits at the centre of that mission, and the firm positions itself as a specialist adviser to businesses that need to secure, manage and defend the names, logos and signs under which they trade.

Trademark practice of this kind spans the full life of a brand. It typically begins with advising on the selection and clearance of new marks, continues through the filing and prosecution of applications before the relevant registries, and extends to the ongoing management of trademark portfolios as businesses grow and enter new markets. Where a brand is challenged or imitated, trademark counsel also acts to enforce rights and defend against claims. As a boutique dedicated to intellectual property, schmid-ip is structured to offer this specialist attention in a way that a generalist practice may not.

The firm's ethos is one of accessibility and clarity. Under the memorable tagline it uses to describe its work, schmid-ip aims to make intellectual property law straightforward for its clients, cutting through the technicality of the field to deliver advice that businesses can act on with confidence. This client-friendly approach is well suited to entrepreneurs, growing companies and established brand owners alike, all of whom rely on clear guidance to protect assets that are often central to their commercial value.

Based in Vienna, schmid-ip serves clients from the Austrian capital while remaining attuned to the European dimension of trademark protection, where registrations and disputes frequently cross borders. The firm's specialist focus allows Dr. Schmid to concentrate her expertise on the questions that matter most to brand owners, from securing rights at the outset to maintaining and enforcing them over time.

Being named Trademark Law Firm of the Year in Austria highlights the standing that schmid-ip has established as a dedicated intellectual property practice and the value clients place on its specialist, approachable service. Under Dr. Katharina Schmid's leadership, the firm continues to help businesses safeguard the brands on which their reputations and commercial success depend.