Thomas Koch
IrelandjudgeMale4.0Global Dominance: 0.00%Thomas Koch is a German judge serving on the Federal Court of Justice, the highest civil court in Germany. He recently gained attention for his ruling regarding the Birkenstock sandal brand, where he determined that the company's sandals do not qualify for copyright protection, stating that they are not protected as works of applied art. This decision upheld a lower court’s verdict and allowed for the continued sale of imitation products, prompting Birkenstock to consider legal action in other countries for better copyright protection.
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Thomas Koch, spokesman for the Publishers and Booksellers’ Association, described mass scan-and-pulp practices as destructive and illegal.
A ‘bananas’ order for 5,000 obscure titles from a bookshop in Galway fuels suspicion – The Irish TimesIreland· 2026-08-10
Thomas Koch explained that there was no risk of repetition in the case regarding the legality of price binding for EU mail-order pharmacies.
Preisbindung für EU-Versandapotheken war rechtswidrig - Wirtschaft
Germany· 2025-07-17Presiding judge Thomas Koch said the claim was 'unfounded'.
Birkenstock sandals are not art, says German court
United Kingdom· 2025-02-20
Thomas Koch of Karlsruhe ruled that the claims are unfounded because they do not involve works of applied art protected by copyright.
Birkenstock, le imitazioni si possono vendere. La sentenza in Germania: «Non sono opere d’arte»
Italy· 2025-02-20