Miscellaneous  |  05/15/2025

On the Passing of Paul Katzenberger

On 24 April 2025, shortly before his 88th birthday, our long-standing colleague and friend Dr. Paul Katzenberger passed away. He was one of the Institute's first employees: Paul Katzenberger joined the Institute for Industrial Property at the University of Munich in 1956 and was involved in every stage of the Institute's history.

Paul Katzenberger
Dr. Paul Katzenberger in 2008
Paul Katzenberger
Dr. Paul Katzenberger in 2008

In 1967, he obtained his doctorate under Eugen Ulmer with a thesis on corporate law, which was one of the first to appear in the Green Series on Industrial Property Rights. He later turned his attention to copyright law and private international law and became a renowned expert in these fields as a Senior Research Fellow. Among his many publications, the editing of the Quellen des Urheberrechts (Sources of Copyright) and his contribution to the Schricker Commentary on Copyright are particularly noteworthy. Early on, he meticulously built up the Institute's documentation, which was a unique and indispensable source for research in industrial property law and copyright law in the pre-digital age.


As head of the Institute's Germany Department, Paul Katzenberger accompanied and supported generations of doctoral candidates during the difficult phase of their doctoral studies and often remained a reliable advisor to them. Even after retiring in 2002, he continued to work for the Institute, initially as a Senior Research Fellow and then as an Affiliated Research Fellow. He only gave up his work as a lawyer specializing in copyright law a few years ago.


With Paul Katzenberger's passing, we have lost a highly esteemed colleague who played a key role in shaping the Institute's public image and promoting its reputation during his active career. For many of us, he was also a reliable source of expert advice and a good friend. We will miss him and cherish his memory.