In its Annual Report 2020, the DPMA provides information on current IP trends for patents, utility models, trade marks and designs — and gives useful information on the function of IP rights and how to apply for them. Although the total number of patent applications fell in comparison to the previous year, the number of inventions filed in individual cutting-edge fields of technology was significantly higher, for example in computer technology (+17.6%) and medical technology (+10.1%). Furthermore, there was a real boom in the trade mark sector, which saw a 13.5% increase in applications.

In addition to analyses on the innovative activity in automotive drive technologies as well as in the field of digitisation, the DPMA’s Annual Report again contains a lot of statistical data — for example, the ranking of the German Länder in the various IP areas and the ranking of the top companies in terms of applications filed. The report also offers exciting stories, for example about strong trade marks from eastern Germany and about intellectual property rights relating to the guitar virtuoso Jimi Hendrix, whose 50th anniversary of death was in 2020.

The annual report also contains information on the DPMA’s further tasks such as the patent attorney training, the supervision of collective management organisations and on its arbitration boards under the Act on Collective Management Organisations (Verwertungsgesellschaftengesetz) and the Employee Inventions Act (Gesetz über Arbeitnehmererfindungen). We will also present the DPMA’s e-government services. These include its electronic services such as DPMAdirektPro and DPMAdirektWeb and its electronic databases DPMAregister and DEPATISnet.

In every crisis there is an opportunity — that is a much-quoted wisdom in these times. This is a rather trite remark, which is why it is, at best, of little consolation to those who are particularly suffering from the coronavirus pandemic. I prefer a somewhat less dramatic description: Most of the time, crises are — also — productive phases. In spite of all the suffering, something new also emerges. Many of you will share this observation.

We all look back on a challenging year. At the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), for example, the coronavirus crisis resulted in a lower number of patent applications compared to the previous year. However, there were also glimmers of hope in our daily lives: All over the country, people have proved to be flexible and creative. Caterers, traders and other entrepreneurs have been making efforts to weather the crisis. They have made a virtue of necessity and developed new ideas to maintain their livelihoods. Just remember the “Schanigärten” (tables and chairs placed on the pavement outside of restaurants and cafés), which made cities so vibrant last summer. Then there were also countless business ideas for to-go items, online fitness courses and many other virtual forms of exchanging ideas and getting together.

People have been creative and inventive — and productive in new ways. This makes me confident, because inventions are an essential driving force in overcoming crises. This does not only apply to the particularly impressive research and development progress in fighting the pandemic. There is still a great demand for the services we, at the DPMA, provide to protect your innovations. Dear customers, I can assure you: There was a special productive atmosphere in our office as well. Thanks to the great commitment of our staff and our largely digital work processes, we have been able to attend to your needs almost without restrictions. We have significantly expanded our offer to work from home, so that now three quarters of our staff can use this option. We have also developed solutions to keep in touch with you: digital event formats such as our recent DPMAnutzerforum meeting or a virtual exhibition stand.

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic also affect the 2020 figures of the DPMA and, thus, the contents of this Annual Report. However, there are also some rays of hope and signs of new productivity in some areas: There was an increase of about 18% in the number of inventions in the computer technology field, which has great future potential. In the automotive industry, the technological change towards e-mobility is gaining momentum. And in the trade mark sector, we saw a veritable application boom in the crisis year of 2020.

Dear customers, the situation in the coronavirus pandemic remains tense for the time being. But we look to the future with confidence, courage and new ideas. The following pages of our 2020 Annual Report cover new and interesting topics from the past year.

I hope you find it an exciting read. Stay creative and healthy!

Yours sincerely,

Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer
President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office