Allgemein

Design protection in Germany

Registered designs under German law protect the appearance of your products Registered designs protect the appearance of industrially manufactured or manually crafted products, for example, clothes, furniture, vehicles, fabrics, decorative objects or graphical symbols. Parts of products can also be protected by a registered design, for example, the sole of a sports shoe or the [...]

What are the differences between a German utility model and a German patent?

Technical inventions can be protected by both patents and utility models. Please note that technical, chemical and biological processes can be patented but not protected as utility models. Furthermore, the term of protection of utility models is different to that of patents. Utility model protection is initially available for three years. It may be extended [...]

File German patent application with the DPMA

Describing the invention clearly and precisely What you should know in advance: the patent system is a very large and complex legal field. Therefore, it can be of benefit to appoint a patent attorney or lawyer for your patent application. If you are not resident in Germany, you need a patent attorney or lawyer for [...]

Trademark searches

Conduct trademark searches - not only before filing a trademark application but also after trademark registration Trade mark searches are important. They are the only way to check if your proposed trade mark does not infringe earlier rights. Even after registration you should regularly carry out searches in order to efficiently defend your trade mark. [...]

How to register a trademark in Germany?

Trademark Registration in Germany The German Patent and Trade Mark Office examines your trade mark application for so-called absolute grounds for refusal. Signs or indications are excluded from registration if they merely describe the kind, quality or other characteristics of the goods or services claimed. The German Patent and Trade Mark Office does not check [...]

European and International Patent Application (EP/ PCT)

Patent protection abroad Patents are only valid in the country for which they have been granted (principle of territoriality). Patents granted by the DPMA have effect in the Federal Republic of Germany. You have a choice of several routes for obtaining patent protection of your invention in other countries. If you wish to obtain protection [...]

Trade mark protection by trademark application and registration

You can register all signs as trade marks that are suitable for distinguishing goods or services of a particular enterprise from that of other enterprises. Trade marks can consist of words, letters, numbers, pictures, three-dimensional objects or sounds. Depending on the sign, the different types of trade marks are referred to as word mark, figurative [...]

Trade mark protection for products and services

Trade marks identify products and services of an enterprise. They stand for the quality of an enterprise and are part of the company’s intellectual property, just like patents. A strong trade mark is a valuable asset. Anyone can file a trade mark. Trade mark protection is available for words, letters, numbers, pictures, and even colours [...]

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