Rights Against the Right (case study)

For too long, the Nazi scene has been using codes and abbreviations to bypass bans and spread their racist ideology. They codified "HAKENKREUZ" (Swastika) into "HKNKRZ", “HITLER” into “HTLR” and "VATERLAND" (Fatherland) into “VTRLND”. A big problem! These codes, printed on shirts and merchandise, are the main source of income for right-wing organisations. And a way to spread their racist believes.

Where lawmakers had been incapable of acting with bans, we found a legal hack for our client and NGO Laut gegen Nazis. It put an end to the spread of Nazi codes for the first time ever: by using trademark law. The campaign, which outsmarts Nazis, has been a phenomenal success for the NGO: Gaining global press coverage and more than 2.2 billion media impressions without any media budget.

We’ve come up with a world first approach to stop the spread of Nazi codes once and for all. We secured the trademark rights for the best-selling German and international Nazi-Codes at the European Trademark office. As the rightful owners of these trademarked codes, we can force Nazi shops to destroy the merch bearing these codes. And even claim compensation for each sale.

The campaign garnered a 2.2 billion media reach without any media budget. The trending number-one news podcast “Apokalypse & Filterkaffee” dedicated an episode. Major German news outlets like Süddeutsche Zeitung, SPIEGEL, STERN, and ZDF reported and published articles. Our idea spread rapidly in Germany and globally.

The campaign played a crucial role in reshaping public perception of hateful Nazi messages. Prompted by the numerous articles, we saw a staggering 630% increase in searches related to the NGO and Nazi Codes. We reached over 117 million users online. Donations increased massively by 687%, while donations in Germany in general have dropped by over 30%.