Legal information

The colour shades amalgamated in colour collections and colour systems which have been developed by RAL gGmbH are intended on the one hand to provide the paint and varnish industry as well as other industries which use colour with binding colour samples when they incorporate colour in their products. On the other hand, they provide painters, varnishers, designers, architects and consumers with reliable guidance when they select and stipulate the desired shades.

The reproduction of the colours and the consistently high quality of the visual repre sentation of each colour from batch to batch require a high degree of input and expense. This is why RAL gGmbH works only with selected manufacturing companies, which satisfy the prescribed high measuring and technical production requirements stipulated for RAL products.

RAL products and services have comprehensive legal protection. RAL colours can be represented exclusively on the basis of approval and consent from RAL gGmbH.

The following should be noted in detail:

Brand protection

The designation RAL, the RAL logo as well as the other specific designs of RAL products, such as RAL K5 CLASSIC or RAL K7 CLASSIC are trademarks of RAL gGmbH or RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung e. V. which have been registered nationally and internationally.

Brands and business designations may also be or become protected for RAL gGmbH regardless of registration, solely through use in the course of business.

Copyright protection

The RAL colour collections and the RAL colour system are protected by copyright.

Utility patent protection/design patent protection

Components of our products and packaging may be registered as utility patents in Germany. The design of RAL products may also be or become protected through community utility patents without this requiring registration.

Protection of related rights under competition law

RAL Products enjoy the protection of related rights under competition law.

The use of protected designations, representations and products as well as the full or partial, similar or identical production of RAL products is permitted only with the express consent of RAL gGmbH. This applies to all products and types of use, both in physical as well as digital form. It is not relevant whether this is for your own use or use by a third party or as part of a different form of publication or documentation. The import or export as well as sale of such unauthorised products is not permitted.

RAL gGmbH is obliged to take legal action against and prohibit unauthorised use to protect its intellectual property. Any violations of industrial property rights and copyright will not only lead to consequences under civil law but also represent a criminal offence.