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German trademark, Unionmark, international trade mark

A national trade mark application at the DPMA provides protection in the Federal Republic of Germany. You can also obtain protection for a trade mark across Europe as a European Union Trade Mark or – – international protection on the basis of a basic mark. Each of these IP systems has advantages and disadvantages. The [...]

Opposition to and Revocation of a German Patent

Opposition proceedings in case of  a German Patent Any person may give notice of opposition within nine months of the publication of the grant of a patent in the Patent Gazette (Patentblatt). If no opposition is filed, the patent becomes legally valid upon expiry of the opposition period. The patent will then become valid retroactively [...]

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 [...]

Examination, Registration and Renewal of a German trademark

The road to your trade mark registration First, the Trade Mark Sections of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office make sure that all required data, for example, applicant, trade mark and the list of goods and services have been received. However, processing of the trade mark application only starts after full payment of fee [...]

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 [...]

Applying for a utility model in Germany

You can file a utility model application both in paper form and in electronic form with the DPMA. Please use application form G 6003 (Antrag auf Eintragung eines Gebrauchsmusters) for paper filing. The “Information for Utility Model Applicants” leaflet contains details about filling in the form and about the formal requirements of the annexes. You [...]

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 [...]

What is patentable under German patent law?

Due to the constant further development of science and technology, it must be continuously redefined what is available for patent protection. In general, objects and processes from all fields of technology are patentable; but the advancement of science is constantly extending the traditional definition of technology. Furthermore, it must be possible to perform the invention [...]

Patent application in Germany

Protection for your technical inventions Commercially successful ideas are often copied or imitated – from everyday objects to sophisticated high-tech products. You can use patents to protect your technical inventions (innovative products or processes) against unwanted imitation. Patent proprietors gain a territorial monopoly right of use for a limited period. At the same time, patents [...]

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. [...]

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