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Key Duties

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Service provider for the protection of intellectual property

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) sees itself as a service provider in the field of industrial property protection in Germany. The office has the main duty to grant, register, administer and publish these IP rights:

The DPMA cooperates with partners, authorities and institutions involved in IP protection. Activities in the national and international environments play an important role in raising awareness of IP matters among the public and providing information on the growing significance of IP rights in the age of globalisation.

Our duty to provide information

Furthermore, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office has the statutory duty to inform the public about IP rights valid in Germany. The DPMA fulfils this duty with its publication and search services DPMAregister and DEPATISnet.

Another important task is to provide information to prospective applicants on aspects to be taken into consideration when filing a patent, utility model, trade mark or design application. Assistance on these matters is available at the office's enquiry units and search rooms as well as at the 20 regional patent information centres throughout Germany, which are recognised cooperation partners of the DPMA.

It is your task to exploit your intellectual property

The assessment and exploitation of an invention as well as the prosecution of patent infringements do not form part of the functions of the DPMA. In this context persons or companies dealing with the exploitation of inventions may be helpful. The DPMA cannot furnish any information or references for this purpose. But quite often the patent information centres may give advice. In addition thereto, an advisory service for inventors is organised free of charge by the German chamber of patent attorneys (Patentanwaltskammer) at the DPMA in Munich, at the Information and Service Centre in Berlin and at several patent information centres and chambers of commerce.

Picture: iStock.com/Radachynskyi

Last updated: 20 October 2020