The Deutsche Vereinigung für Gewerblichen Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht (GRUR) e.V. is the largest and oldest association in Germany that is devoted to the protection of intellectual property. It is also known under the abbreviation "GRUR" and the name "Grüner Verein" (Green Association). GRUR was founded in Berlin in the year 1891, initially as an association of those interested in intellectual property and competition law, copyright law being included later, for the purpose of advancing the academic debate on pertinent legal issues and - as stated at that time - in order to provide assistance to the government with regard to the difficult responsibility of undertaking legislative work in that field of law.
