Carsten Kortbein

Carsten Kortbein serves as an Honorary Professor at Bundeswehr University Munich since 2014 and has been a Lecturer at the Chair of Civil Law, Commercial and Commercial Law since 2008. Concurrently, he holds a judicial position as Judge in Technical Appeals Senates of the Federal Patent Court since 2011, leveraging his three-decade expertise in intellectual property systems.

His educational foundation includes law studies (major) and computer science (minor) at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1983-1989), First State Examination (1989), legal traineeship in Munich's Higher Regional Court district (1989-1992), and Second State Examination (1992). He earned his doctorate from Bundeswehr University Munich in 2005 with the thesis 'Trademark protection for audio signs - Problems of the practical use as well as the registration, opposition and infringement proceedings' under Prof. Dr. Hanns Ullrich.

Professor Kortbein's research centers on Intellectual Property Law with specialized focus on Trademark Law, particularly audio sign protection mechanisms across registration, opposition, and infringement proceedings. His work bridges Commercial Law and Civil Law frameworks, informed by practical experience from 14 years at the German Patent and Trademark Office and ongoing judicial service. Current scholarship examines evolving challenges in non-traditional trademark registration within digital commerce contexts.

His professional trajectory includes progressive roles at the DPMA: Legal Examiner (1992-1998), Head of General Legal Affairs Department (1998-1999), Arbitration Board Representative (1999-2000), and Personnel Department Head (1999-2006). Since 2010, he additionally oversees Non-Judicial Employee Personnel at the Federal Patent Court while maintaining active judicial and academic duties.