Roland Knaak

Roland Knaak is an Affiliated Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law, focusing on European trademark law and geographical indications. His work centers on legal harmonization, comparative studies, and empirical analysis of intellectual property systems within the EU.

• Key Research Areas: Intellectual Property Law, European Union Law, Trademark Law, Geographical Indications, Legal Harmonization, Competition Law
• Notable Contributions: Empirical studies on EU GI systems, analyses of trademark-GI coexistence, lectures at University of Zurich and European institutions

His publications examine conflicts between trademarks and geographical indications, enforcement mechanisms in EU trademark law, and harmonization challenges. Recent work (2024) evaluates reform perspectives for the EU GI system, while his 2015 article in IIC compares GI and trademark relationships.

• Advising: Regularly contributes to EU policy discussions and legal reforms
• International Engagement: Active in European legal conferences (ERA, ECTA), provides opinions to EU institutions