I would like to publish an app in the Playstore soon. The similarity is a kind of "fangame" from Fortnite, of course you can't spend any money there but there's advertising in the app, it's a kind of clicker game where you then click "V-bucks" and you can buy skins with it. Where can I check which words and maybe also designs are patented and what should I pay attention to in order to avoid problems?
At the patent office.
Words can't be patented.
You can have names protected, but that is not a "patent".
And designs are protected if they look like one that already exists. It works automatically.
THAT is enough for you to start with.
A "fangame" from Fortnite is very likely not allowed.
And when I change designs like this instead of this one:
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fortnite/images/e/eb/V-Bucks_-_Icon_-_Fortnite.png/revision/latest?cb=20170806013747
turn into just a circled "V"?
https://www.dpma.de/marken/markenschutz/index.html, how a word can be protected as a trademark for a product.
https://www.dpma.de/marken/markenrecherche/index.html, how you can research whether a word is already protected as a trademark by registration with the DPMA.
https://www.dpma.de/designs/schutz/index.html, how a design can be protected by registration with the DPMA.
https://www.dpma.de/designs/recherche/index.html, how to find out whether a design is already protected by registration with the DPMA.
A graphic can't only be protected as a design, but also as a trademark, in which case it would be a registered trademark - like the Mercedes star. It is also possible to protect a word-image trademark, i.e. A combination of text and image or of text and text design.
What you are no longer allowed to do with the brand afterwards is in https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/.../__14.html. Above all, it is important to avoid similarities which, in the opinion of a court called later, could lead to confusion among the public - or to a "dilution of the brand" (googling)!
And designs are protected if they look like one that already exists. It works automatically.
The fact that a design automatically enjoys protection only applies if the design achieves the necessary https://de.wikipedia.org/...sh%C3%B6he in order to be protected as a work of the fine arts in the sense of UrhG https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/...g/__2.html.
Otherwise or in addition, one would have to register the design with dpma.de in order to enjoy protection.
The height of creation is so imprecise that one can ignore this limitation. Especially when masn, like the questioner, has no idea at all.
So it's true, but it just complicates the matter unnecessarily
