Statistics

13 tables Patent applications and patents

4 tables Utility models and topographies

8 tables National trade marks

5 tables Designs

2 tables Other topics

To generate the statistical data, we use the dynamic statistics system DPMAstatistik. Due to this dynamic, the values can change over time, for example, when a legal status change has a retrospective effect. For this reason, the values depend on the respective date of retrieval.

The following statistics are based on data retrieved in February 2021. To facilitate comparison with the statistical data of other offices, Table 3.7 now shows the classes claimed for national trade mark applications and international registrations of marks instead of the leading class.

More detailed statistics are available in the March edition of the gazette Blatt für Patent-, Muster- und Zeichenwesen (Blatt für PMZ), published by Carl Heymanns Verlag.

Bereich Patente

Patent applications and patents

1.1 National patent applications at the DPMA and international patent applications with effect in Germany

1.1 National patent applications at the DPMA and international patent applications with effect in Germany (PCT applications in the national phase)
1 Applications for a German patent filed with the DPMA. / 2 Residence or principal place of business of the applicant.
Year National applications 1 PCT applications in the national phase Applications
(national and PCT national phase)
Domestic2Foreign2TotalDomestic2Foreign2TotalDomestic2Foreign2Total
2016 47,318 14,264 61,582 1,174 5,151 6,325 48,492 19,415 67,907
2017 46,740 14,744 61,484 1,047 5,191 6,238 47,787 19,935 67,722
2018 45,627 15,251 60,878 1,006 6,021 7,027 46,633 21,272 67,905
2019 45,533 14,392 59,925 1,101 6,406 7,507 46,634 20,798 67,432
2020 41,078 13,502 54,580 1,171 6,354 7,525 4,2249 19,856 62,105

1.2 Patent applications before entry into the examination procedure

1.2 Patent applications before entry into the examination procedure
1 New applications and cases referred back by the Federal Patent Court, allowed appeals, reinstatements.
2 Withdrawals, non-payment of application or annual renewal fees, examination request not filed and refusals.
Year Total applications received  1 Procedures concluded before filing of examination request2 Patent applications pending at the end of the year
National applicationsincluding applications for which formal examination was concluded
2016 61,770 20,158 150,838 143,471
2017 61,616 20,771 151,488 144,114
2018 61,021 21,408 151,430 143,978
2019 60,015 20,794 150,744 144,467
2020 54,681 20,869 149,198 143,238

1.3 Patent applications in the examination procedure

1.3 Patent applications in the examination procedure
Year Examination requests received Examination procedures concluded Patent grants published
Total(of which) together with applications
2016 45,628 26,390 35,822 15,652
2017 47,448 26,540 36,845 15,649
2018 47,130 26,199 38,115 16,369
2019 47,338 25,998 40,183 18,255
2020 43,139 23,365 41,723 17,305

1.4 Patents in force

1.4 Patents in force (granted by the DPMA)
Year Patents entered into force Patents no longer in force Patents in force at the end of the year
2016 15,705 15,670 129,199
2017 15,693 16,273 128,700
2018 16,419 15,847 129,335
2019 18,299 15,735 131,987
2020 17,333 16,985 132,336

1.5 Percentage of patent applications in which the applicant is identical with the inventor, broken down by residence or principal place of business of the applicant

1.5 Percentage of patent applications in which the applicant is identical with the inventor, broken down by residence or principal place of business of the applicant
Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Inländer 7.7 7.1 6.7 6.4 7.4
Ausländer 2.1 2.0 1.8 1.4 1.7
Total 6.3 5.8 5.4 5.2 5.9

1.6 Patent applications by German Länder

1.6 Patent applications (applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase) by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
1 Due to a data correction, the values for 2020 were retrieved in April 2021 and are not comparable with the corresponding data in other tables and already published statistics.
German Länder 2016 2017 2018 2019 20201
Baden-Württemberg 14,417 14,530 14,607 15,241 13,687
Bavaria 15,835 15,456 14,904 14,037 12,700
Berlin 829 715 680 674 343
Brandenburg 333 329 290 296 294
Bremen 141 129 136 142 122
Hamburg 816 790 883 760 622
Hesse 1,932 1,929 1,615 1,541 1,571
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 104 135 145 89 107
Lower Saxony 3,703 3,514 3,604 3,851 3,234
North Rhine-Westphalia 7,077 7,208 6,847 7,019 6,388
Rhineland-Palatinate 1,076 922 911 833 781
Saarland 196 197 175 215 192
Saxony 811 719 595 668 641
Saxony-Anhalt 228 186 205 194 161
Schleswig-Holstein 475 490 452 469 480
Thuringia 519 538 543 599 606
Germany 48,492 47,787 46,633 46,634 42,260

1.7 Patent applications, percentages and applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder

1.7 Patent applications, percentages and applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or prinicpal place of business of the applicant)
1 Due to a data correction, the values for 2020 were retrieved in April 2021 and are not comparable with the corresponding data in other tables and already published statistics.
German Länder 2019 2020 Change from 2019 to 2020 (%)
Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
Baden-Württemberg 15,241 32.7 137 13,687 32.4 123 -10.2
Bavaria 14,037 30.1 107 12,700 30.1 97 -9.5
North Rhine-Westphalia 7,019 15.1 39 6,388 15.1 36 -9.0
Lower Saxony 3,851 8.3 48 3,234 7.7 40 -16.0
Hesse 1,541 3.3 25 1,571 3.7 25 +1.9
Rhineland-Palatinate 833 1.8 20 781 1.8 19 -6.2
Berlin 680 1.5 19 674 1.6 18 -0.9
Saxony 668 1.4 16 641 1.5 16 -4.0
Hamburg 760 1.6 41 622 1.5 34 -18.2
Thuringia 599 1.3 28 606 1.4 28 +1.3
Schleswig-Holstein 469 1.0 16 480 1.1 17 +2.3
Brandenburg 296 0.6 12 294 0.7 12 -0.7
Saarland 215 0.5 22 192 0.5 19 -10.7
Saxony-Anhalt 194 0.4 9 161 0.4 7 -17.0
Bremen 142 0.3 21 122 0.3 18 -14.1
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 89 0.2 6 107 0.3 7 +20.2
Germany 46,634 100 56 42,260 100 51 -9.4

1.8 Patent applications by countries of origin

1.8 Patent applications by countries of origin (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
(applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)
Country 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Germany 48,492 47,787 46,633 46,634 42,249
Japan 6,840 7,282 8,013 7,956 7,247
USA 5,860 6,084 6,669 6,207 5,882
Republic of Korea 1,203 1,173 1,313 1,262 1,617
Taiwan 599 618 686 737 933
Switzerland 951 922 814 810 777
Austria 977 907 777 713 765
China 550 646 492 448 499
Sweden 517 464 393 380 321
France 270 248 345 460 301
Others 1,648 1,591 1,770 1,825 1,514
Total 67,907 67,722 67,905 67,432 62,105

1.9 Patent applications filed by universities by German Länder

1.9 Patent applications filed by universities by German Länder (applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)
1 Due to rounding differences the sum of the figures may differ from the figure for Germany.
German Länder 2016 2017 2018 2019 20201
Baden-Württemberg 80 67 75 71 67
Bavaria 75 67 59 60 56
Berlin 20 28 19 22 16
Brandenburg 6 19 9 13 14
Bremen 9 20 16 12 12
Hamburg 21 26 17 15 17
Hesse 60 61 54 42 45
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 22 19 29 14 19
Lower Saxony 50 62 55 45 43
North Rhine-Westphalia 106 124 129 141 129
Rhineland-Palatinate 7 7 16 11 10
Saarland 7 4 6 13 5
Saxony 135 97 81 120 115
Saxony-Anhalt 40 32 34 26 27
Schleswig-Holstein 19 22 22 19 22
Thuringia 43 46 40 30 26
Germany1 699 699 658 653 622

1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity

1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity (in %) 
Due to a change in the calculation logic, the data in the table cannot be directly compared with the published figures from previous years.
Percentage of applicants having filed 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
one application 66.1 65.7 64.7 64.8 67.0
2 to 10 applications 29.6 29.7 30.6 30.5 28.8
11 to 100 applications 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.2 3.8
more then 100 applications 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4
Total 100 100 100 100 100
1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity (in %) 
Due to a change in the calculation logic, the data in the table cannot be directly compared with the published figures from previous years.
Percentage of applications by appplicants having filed 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
one application 12.5 12.2 11.4 11.3 13.2
2 to 10 applications 18.7 18.4 18.0 17.9 18.8
11 to 100 applications 19.9 20.0 20.5 21.4 21.3
more then 100 applications 48.9 49.3 50.1 49.4 46.7
Total 100 100 100 100 100

1.11 Opposition proceedings

1.11 Opposition proceedings
1 Opposition proceedings concluded by surrender, non-payment of the annual renewal fee, revocation, maintenance, maintenance in amended form.
2 Including a substantial part of the proceedings pending before the Federal Patent Court.
Year Oppositions received Opposition proceedings concluded Opposition proceedings pending at the end of the year2
Total1 (of which) patent revoked (of which) patent maintained or patent maintained in amended form
2016 416 464 127 262 1,570
2017 376 442 142 235 1,504
2018 338 453 130 253 1,386
2019 294 415 142 218 1,266
2020 259 298 99 145 1,228

1.12 Patent applications by technology fields with the largest number of applications in 2020

1.12 Patent applications by technology fields with the largest number of applications in 2020
(applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)

Patent applications by technology fields with the largest number of applications in 2020 as line chart

1.13 Companies and institutions with the highest number of patent applications in 2020

1.13 Companies and institutions with the highest number of patent applications in 2020
(applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)
1 Without taking into account any business intra-group affiliations.
Applicant1 Principal place of business Applications
1 Robert Bosch GmbH DE 4,033
2 Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG DE 1,907
3 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG DE 1,874
4 Daimler AG DE 1,638
5 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE 1,493
6 Ford Global Technologies, LLC   US 1,324
7 AUDI AG DE 1,088
8 ZF Friedrichshafen AG DE 987
9 Intel Corporation   US 975
10 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation   JP 661
11 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.   TW 627
12 FANUC Corporation   JP 601
13 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG DE 591
14 DENSO Corporation   JP 542
15 GM Global Technology Operations LLC   US 534
16 Toyota Jidosha K.K.   JP 404
17 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH DE 403
17 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. DE 403
19 Infineon Technologies AG DE 373
20 Miele & Cie. KG DE 351
21 Hyundai Motor Company   KR 350
22 Kia Motors Corporation   KR 348
23 International Business Machines Corporation   US 306
24 Siemens AG DE 301
25 Siemens Healthcare GmbH DE 271
26 Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.   JP 249
27 Deere & Company   US 248
28 MAHLE International GmbH DE 227
29 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.   KR 226
30 Honda Motor Co., Ltd.   JP 224
31 SEW-EURODRIVE GmbH & Co KG DE 222
32 Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH DE 213
33 Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH DE 206
34 Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG DE 196
35 OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH DE 192
36 Continental Automotive GmbH DE 190
37 KRONES AG DE 188
38 Siemens Mobility GmbH DE 183
39 HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA DE 176
40 Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG DE 174
41 Sony Corporation   JP 170
42 Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. DE 168
43 Henkel AG & Co. KGaA DE 152
44 DISCO Corporation   JP 151
44 Voith Patent GmbH DE 151
46 Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH DE 147
47 Vitesco Technologies GmbH DE 145
48 Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.   KR 142
49 FEV Group GmbH DE 140
50 Aktiebolaget SKF   SE 139
Section Utility models

Utility models and topographies

2.1 Utility models

2.1a Utility models (applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)
1 Cases referred back by the Federal Patent Court, allowed appeals, reinstatements.
Year Filings  Procedures concluded
New applicationsDomestic applicationsOthers 1Totalby registrationwithout registrationTotal
2016 14,030 10,10025 14,055 12,442 1,890 14,332
2017 13,301 9,48130 13,331 11,882 1,761 13,643
2018 12,307 8,80021 12,328 11,295 1,619 12,914
2019 11,667 8,43614 11,681 10,295 1,539 11,834
2020 12,323 8,89715 12,338 10,736 1,496 12,232
2.1b Utility models (applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)
Year Pending registration procedures at the end of the yearUtility models in force at the end of the yearRenewalsLapsed utility models
2016 4,875 83,152 20,206 14,444
2017 4,561 81,037 18,822 14,032
2018 3,972 79,299 20,554 13,072
2019 3,818 76,930 18,831 12,682
2020 3,921 74,900 18,166 12,796

2.2 Topographies under the Semiconductor Protection Act (Halbleiterschutzgesetz)

2.2 Topographies under the Semiconductor Protection Act (Halbleiterschutzgesetz)
Year New applications received Procedures concluded Pending applications at the end of the year Lapsed due to expiry of time Registrations in force at the end of the year
by registrationwithout registrationTotal
201697290126
201710110224
201800000123
201900000221
2020 00000120

2.3 Utility model applications by German Länder

2.3 Utility model applications (applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase) by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Baden-Württemberg 1,883 1,734 1,624 1,580 1,577
Bavaria 2,273 2,054 1,982 1,902 2,023
Berlin 300 322 307 342 343
Brandenburg 150 134 98 164 106
Bremen 52 52 44 34 46
Hamburg 159 156 177 140 153
Hesse 622 628 616 479 613
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 71 54 56 43 61
Lower Saxony 699 652 618 563 595
North Rhine-Westphalia 2,647 2,529 2,182 2,176 2,251
Rhineland-Palatinate 402 390 303 351 355
Saarland 72 72 65 49 68
Saxony 300 258 294 222 284
Saxony-Anhalt 128 102 116 98 109
Schleswig-Holstein 192 202 183 167 180
Thuringia 150 142 135 126 133
Germany 10,100 9,481 8,800 8,436 8,897

2.4 Utility model applications, percentages and applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder

2.4 Utility model applications, percentages and applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2019 2020 Change from 2019 to 2020 (%)
Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 2,176 25.8 12 2,251 25.3 13 + 3.4
Bavaria 1,902 22.5 14 2,023 22.7 15 + 6.4
Baden-Württemberg 1,580 18.7 14 1,577 17.7 14 - 0.2
Hesse 479 5.7 8 613 6.9 10 + 28.0
Lower Saxony 563 6.7 7 595 6.7 7 + 5.7
Rhineland-Palatinate 351 4.2 9 355 4.0 9 + 1.1
Berlin 342 4.1 9 343 3.9 9 + 0.3
Saxony 222 2.6 5 284 3.2 7 + 27.9
Schleswig-Holstein 167 2.0 6 180 2.0 6 + 7.8
Hamburg 140 1.7 8 153 1.7 8 + 9.3
Thuringia 126 1.5 6 133 1.5 6 + 5.6
Saxony-Anhalt 98 1.2 4 109 1.2 5 + 11.2
Brandenburg 164 1.9 7 106 1.2 4 - 35.4
Saarland 49 0.6 5 68 0.8 7 + 38.8
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 43 0.5 3 61 0.7 4 + 41.9
Bremen 34 0.4 5 46 0.5 7 + 35.3
Germany 8,436 100 10 8,897 100 11 + 5.5
Bereich Marken

National trade marks

3.1 Applications and registrations

3.1 Applications and registrations
1 Proportion of claimed service classes in all claimed classes in national trade mark applications, as a trade mark application may be assigned to several classes.
2 In particular, cases returned by the Federal Patent Court.
Year Filings  Registration under section 41 Trade Mark Act (Markengesetz)
New applications Others2 Total
Total Domestic applications Proportion of service marks(%) 1
2016 69,391 65,321 49.0 393 69,784 52,199
2017 72,047 67,440 47.1 364 72,411 50,953
2018 70,534 65,662 47.3 328 70,862 50,576
2019 73,635 68,261 46.1 385 74,020 55,025
2020 84,619 78,741 44.8 339 84,958 60,425

3.2 Opposition proceedings

3.2 Opposition proceedings
1 Since 14 January 2019 an opposition can be based on several earlier rights (opposing signs) if they belong to the same proprietor.
2 (Partial) cancellations in particular due to the surrender of the proprietor.
Year Oppositions received Opposition proceedings concluded
Trade marks challenged by oppositions Number of oppositions Number of opposing signs 1 without affecting the trade mark Cancellation in full or in part Procedure obsolete2
2016 3,227 4,793 4,793 2,048 445 585
2017 2,855 4,229 4,229 2,118 616 613
2018 2,792 4,148 4,148 1,798 445 596
2019 2,952 3,398 5,046 1,827 438 607
2020 2,743 2,967 4,613 1,818 521 633

3.3 Cancellations, renewals, trade marks in force

3.3 Cancellations, renewals, trade marks in force
Year Cancellations as well as other disposals Renewals Trade marks in force at the end of the year
2016 44,892 34,127 804,758
2017 44,117 35,215 811,582
2018 46,495 39,940 815,657
2019 40,311 39,834 830,364
2020 45,172 39,491 845,583

3.4 Procedures for the international registration of marks

3.4a Applications for international registration of marks originating from Germanyd
1 Not including requests for the extension of protection under Art. 3ter(2) Madrid Agreement; 125 requests for the extension of protection were received in 2020, and 101 requests were transmitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Year Applications received Procedures concluded Cases pending at the end of the year
Applications transmitted to WIPO 1 Applications withdrawn or refused
2016 4,929 4,835121337
2017 4,713 4,636114302
2018 4,697 4,51389397
2019 4,638 4,651116271
2020 4,416 4,256139293
3.4b Extension of protection of international registrations of marks originating from Madrid Union countries to Germany
2 Not including other requests and not including renewals.
Year Requests received 2 Procedures concluded Cases pending at the end of the year Requests received
Full grant of protection Grant of protection in part Refusal, surrender or cancellation in the International Register Oppositions Appeals
2016 3,467 3,043380415 2,57819214
2017 4,678 3,426311512 3,00428023
2018 4,828 3,590264710 3,26736117
2019 5,196 4,123355701 3,27621514
2020 4,819 3,646336772 3,33917123

3.5 National trade mark applications by German Länder

3.5 National trade mark applications by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Baden-Württemberg 8,241 8,764 8,339 8,539 10,139
Bavaria 11,831 12,503 12,310 12,281 14,451
Berlin 5,245 5,335 5,458 5,459 5,930
Brandenburg 1,121 1,178 1,074 1,207 1,443
Bremen 521 587 535 604 633
Hamburg 3,569 3,378 3,501 3,444 4,099
Hesse 5,343 5,513 5,215 5,554 6,304
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 651 628 578 671 766
Lower Saxony 4,557 4,827 4,672 5,120 5,719
North Rhine-Westphalia 14,881 15,137 14,557 15,552 18,151
Rhineland-Palatinate 3,052 3,085 3,042 3,153 3,603
Saarland 563 616 548 581 724
Saxony 2,078 2,110 2,048 2,066 2,313
Saxony-Anhalt 690 644 766 814 859
Schleswig-Holstein 2,181 2,196 2,208 2,276 2,646
Thuringia 797 939 811 940 961
Germany 65,321 67,440 65,662 68,261 78,741

3.6 Trade mark applications, percentages and number of applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder

3.6 Trade mark applications, percentages and number of applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the proprietor)
German Länder 2019 2020 Change from 2019 to 2020 (%)
Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 15,552 22.8 87 18,151 23.1 101 + 16.7
Bavaria 12,281 18.0 94 14,451 18.4 110 + 17.7
Baden-Württemberg 8,539 12.5 77 10,139 12.9 91 + 18.7
Hesse 5,554 8.1 88 6,304 8.0 100 +13.5
Berlin 5,459 8.0 149 5,930 7.5 162 + 8.6
Lower Saxony 5,120 7.5 64 5,719 7.3 72 + 11.7
Hamburg 3,444 5.0 186 4,099 5.2 222 + 19.0
Rhineland-Palatinate 3,153 4.6 77 3,603 4.6 88 + 14.3
Schleswig-Holstein 2,276 3.3 78 2,646 3.4 91 + 16.3
Saxony 2,066 3.0 51 2,313 2.9 57 + 12.0
Brandenburg 1,207 1.8 48 1,443 1.8 57 + 19.6
Thuringia 940 1.4 44 961 1.2 45 + 2.2
Saxony-Anhalt 814 1.2 37 859 1.1 39 + 5.5
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 671 1.0 42 766 1.0 48 + 14.2
Saarland 581 0.9 59 724 0.9 73 + 24.6
Bremen 604 0.9 89 633 0.8 93 + 4.8
Germany 68,261 100 82 78,741 100 95 + 15.4

3.7 Classes of national trade marks applied for

3.7 Classes of national trade marks applied for  (A trade mark application may be assigned to several classes.)
1 Class headings in accordance with the current version of the Nice Classification are available here.
Ranking Class Class essentially includes 1 2019 2020 Change (%)
1 35 Advertising; business management, organisation and administration; office functions 26,332 29,378 + 11.6
2 41 Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities 19,203 20,728 + 7.9
3 9 Electrical apparatus and instruments; computer hardware; software; optical apparatus and instruments 14,211 16,338 + 15.0
4 42 Scientific and technological services 13,918 15,281 + 9.8
5 25 Clothing, footwear and headgear 10,419 12,834 + 23.2
6 16 Office requisites; stationery 8,967 10,429 + 16.3
7 44 Medical services; hygienic and beauty care; agriculture, horticulture and forestry services 6,736 7,203 + 6.9
8 5 Pharmaceuticals; materials for dressings; disinfectants; dietary supplements 5,368 7,013 + 30.6
9 21 Household and kitchen utensils and containers; articles for cleaning purposes; tableware, dishes; glassware 5,509 7,005 + 27.2
10 37 Building, construction and repair services; installation services 5,894 6,919 + 17.4
11 36 Insurance and financial services; real estate affairs 6,226 6,896 + 10.8
12 43 Services for providing food and drink; temporary accommodation 6,702 6,710 + 0.1
13 38 Telecommunications services 5,917 6,658 + 12.5
14 30 Foodstuffs of plant origin; pastries, pasta and confectionery; seasonings, condiments; coffee, tea and cocoa; sugar 5,861 6,497 + 10.9
15 3 Cleaning preparations; cosmetics; perfumery 5,400 6,350 + 17.6
16 28 Games, sports articles 4,674 5,557 + 18.9
17 20 Furniture and home decorations 4,378 5,438 + 24.2
18 18 Leather products; luggage and carrying bags 4,730 5,351 + 13.1
19 39 Transport and travel arrangement; packaging and storage of goods 4,625 5,104 + 10.4
20 11 Heating; ventilation; apparatus and installations for sanitary purposes 4,092 4,769 + 16.5
21 32 Non-alcoholic beverages; beers 4,499 4,653 + 3.4
22 45 Legal services; security services for the physical protection of individuals 4,147 4,561 + 10.0
23 40 Treatment of materials; printing services 3,819 4,268 + 11.8
24 29 Foodstuffs of animal origin; milk products; processed fruits and vegetables 3,788 4,264 + 12.6
25 33 Alcoholic beverages 3,793 4,178 + 10.2
26 10 Medical apparatus and instruments; orthopaedic articles 2,531 3,753 + 48.3
27 7 Machines, motors and engines 3,400 3,734 + 9.8
28 14 Jewellery, clocks and watches 2,997 3,353 + 11.9
29 24 Woven material and blankets; household linen 2,775 3,293 + 18.7
30 12 Vehicles 3,196 3,244 + 1.5
31 6 Common metals and goods made thereof for building and construction; small items of metal hardware 2,313 2,793 + 20.8
32 1 Chemicals; fertilizers; unprocessed plastics and artificial resins 2,542 2,658 + 4.6
33 31 Agricultural, horticultural and forestry products; foodstuffs for animals 2,462 2,652 + 7.7
34 8 Hand tools; cutlery 1,758 2,222 + 26.4
35 19 Non-metallic building and construction materials 1,956 2,055 + 5.1
36 26 Haberdashery; decorative articles for the hair 1,466 1,615 + 10.2
37 4 Industrial oils and lubricants; fuels 1,530 1,525 - 0.3
38 17 Insulating materials; semi-processed goods; flexible pipes, tubes and hoses, not of metal 1,256 1,321 + 5.2
39 34 Tobacco, smokers’ articles 1,192 1,157 - 2.9
40 2 Paints; varnishes; lacquers; printing inks 1,241 1,137 - 8.4
41 27 Floor coverings and mats; wall coverings and ceiling lining 818 1,111 + 35.8
42 22 Ropes; tents, tarpaulins and sails 825 977 + 18.4
43 15 Musical instruments 680 491 - 27.8
44 13 Firearms 274 290 + 5.8
45 23 Yarns and threads 210 241 + 14.8
Not classified 71 69
Total 224,701 254,073 + 13.1

3.8 Top companies and institutions in terms of trade mark registrations in 2020

3.8 Top companies and institutions in terms of trade mark registrations in 2020 (registrations of trade marks pursuant to section 41 Trade Mark Act)
1 Without taking into account any business intra-group affiliations.
Proprietor 1 Principal place of business Registrations
1 Henkel AG & Co. KGaA DE 92
2 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG DE 90
3 DFO Global Performance Commerce Ltd.   US 59
4 adp Gauselmann GmbH DE 50
4 Make Great Sales Ltd.   US 50
4 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE   50
7 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. DE 41
7 HARIBO Holding GmbH & Co. KG DE 41
9 Daimler AG DE   39
9 Private Mark GmbH DE   39
11 BASF SE DE   37
11 Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH DE   37
11 Dermapharm Aktiengesellschaft DE 37
11 Nordbrand Nordhausen GmbH DE   37
15 hagebau Handelsgesellschaft für Baustoffe mbH & Co. KG DE   35
16 August Storck KG DE   34
16 EDEKA ZENTRALE AG & Co. KG DE 34
16 kitzVenture GmbH   AT 34
19 Katjes Fassin GmbH + Co. KG DE 33
19 Peppler GmbH DE 33
Bereich Designs

Designs

4.1 Applications and procedures concluded

4.1 Applications and procedures concluded
1 Provisional for 2020, as the actual number of designs applied for is not known before completion of the registration procedure.
Year Filings1  Procedures concluded
Designs in Total Designs in domestic applications by registration domestic without registration Total
applications with multiple designs applications with one design
2016 54,535 2,774 57,309 48,040 48,215 40,727 4,756 52,971
2017 44,066 2,677 46,743 40,476 47,175 39,840 5,803 52,978
2018 41,652 2,416 44,068 39,025 47,646 42,463 5,569 53,215
2019 40,843 2,256 43,099 36,398 41,145 36,186 3,841 44,986
2020 36,825 2,625 39,450 35,166 37,124 33,207 4,226 41,350

4.2 Registered designs by German Länder

4.2 Registered designs by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the proprietor)
German Länder 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Baden-Württemberg 5,748 6,276 6,664 6,726 5,037
Bavaria 10,547 8,402 8,451 7,932 6,143
Berlin 1,925 1,638 1,965 1,780 1,733
Brandenburg 392 510 319 297 172
Bremen 392 510 319 297 172
Hamburg 928 1,214 919 845 716
Hesse 1,966 1,824 1,574 1,363 1,532
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 258 165 143 92 188
Lower Saxony 3,008 3,040 2,754 2,420 2,549
North Rhine-Westphalia 10,949 11,011 13,324 10,966 10,596
Rhineland-Palatinate 1,180 1,435 1,598 1,021 1,113
Saarland 309 244 211 163 308
Saxony 1,669 1,271 1,830 1,299 1,270
Saxony-Anhalt 247 327 458 274 581
Schleswig-Holstein 1,112 1,880 1,730 659 893
Thuringia 322 330 390 239 278
Germany 40,727 39,840 42,463 36,186 33,207

4.3 Pending designs (applied for) and registered designs in force; invalidity proceedings

4.3 Pending designs (applied for) and registered designs in force; invalidity proceedings
Year Pending designs (applied for) at the end of the year Extensions of registered designs Designs maintained / renewed Cancellations Registered and in force at the end of the year Invalidity proceedings
Applications filed Proceedings concluded
2016 32,070 2,929 15,290 48,603 313,092 70 30
2017 25,787 3,552 15,937 47,716 312,551 63 90
2018 16,597 3,599 14,563 46,454 313,743 31 71
2019 14,708 3,386 15,032 51,458 303,430 29 48
2020 12,799 3,405 15,451 50,005 290,549 56 63

4.4 Registered designs, percentages and designs per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder

4.4 Registered designs, percentages and designs per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2019 2020 Change from 2019 to 2020 (%)
Registered designs Percentage Registered designs per 100,000 inhabitants Registered designs Percentage Registered designs per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 10,966 30.3 61 10,596 31.9 59 -3.4
Bavaria 7,932 21.9 60 6,143 18.5 47 -22.6
Baden-Württemberg 6,726 18.6 61 5,037 15.2 45 -25.1
Lower Saxony 2,420 6.7 30 2,549 7.7 32 +5.3
Berlin 1,780 4.9 49 1,733 5.2 47 -2.6
Hesse 1,363 3.8 22 1,532 4.6 24 +12.4
Saxony 1,299 3.6 32 1,270 3.8 31 -2.2
Rhineland-Palatinate 1,021 2.8 25 1,113 3.4 27 +9.0
Schleswig-Holstein 659 1.8 23 893 2.7 31 +35.5
Hamburg 845 2.3 46 716 2.2 39 -15.3
Saxony-Anhalt 274 0.8 12 581 1.7 26 +112.0
Saarland 163 0.5 17 308 0.9 31 +89.0
Thuringia 239 0.7 11 278 0.8 13 +16.3
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 92 0.3 6 188 0.6 12 +104.3
Brandenburg 297 0.8 12 172 0.5 7 -42.1
Bremen 110 0.3 16 98 0.3 14 -10.9
Germany 36,186 100 44 33,207 100 40 -8.2

4.5 Top companies and institutions in terms of registered designs at the DPMA in 2020

4.5 Top companies and institutions in terms of registered designs at the DPMA in 2020 (without partnerships organised under the Civil Code)
1 Without taking into account any business intra-group affiliations.
Proprietor 1 Principal place of business Registered designs
1 Miroglio Textile S.r.l. IT 1,800
2 Betty Barclay Group GmbH & Co. KG DE 1,181
3 H.W. Hustadt Besitz- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbh & Co.KG DE 847
4 WOFI LEUCHTEN Wortmann & Filz GmbH DE 675
5 AstorMueller AG CH 641
6 monari GmbH DE   559
7 SWING Collections GmbH DE 494
8 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE 418
9 Goebel Porzellan GmbH DE   339
10 The House of Art GmbH DE   243
11 CoachHub GmbH DE   242
12 OLYMP Bezner KG DE   237
13 Alfons Venjakob GmbH & Co. KG DE 213
14 Koinor Polstermöbel GmbH & Co. KG DE   208
15 Albani Group GmbH & Co. KG DE   200
16 Godelmann Pflasterstein - GmbH & Co. KG. DE   199
17 BRE-Light GmbH DE 195
18 GEMINI Schuhproduktions- und Vertriebs GmbH DE 191
19 INDEX LIVING GmbH DE 190
20 Räder GmbH DE 187
21 REHAU AG + Co DE   172
22 Wepa Professional GmbH DE   162
23 AVB UG DE   160
23 Grubenhelden GmbH DE 160
25 Wolf Möbel GmbH & Co. KG DE 158
26 Paul Green GmbH   AT 157
27 SHOE CONZEPT Handels GmbH DE   148
28 Innostyle-Möbelvertriebs GmbH & Co. KG DE 145
29 Wohnmanufactur Grünberger s.r.o.   CZ 136
30 Best Light Production Ltd. DE   134
31 Fehn GmbH & Co. KG DE 133
32 seltra Natursteinhandel GmbH DE 129
33 CAWÖ Textil GmbH & Co. KG DE 120
33 TO-DO Design - Kreative Produkte GmbH DE 120
35 Flato Interior GmbH DE 114
36 moll Funktionsmöbel GmbH DE 112
37 chemprox GmbH DE 110
38 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG DE 108
39 REALITY Import GmbH DE 106
40 Daimler AG DE 103
41 DOMO Collection GmbH DE   100
41 GRADA-TEXTIL GmbH - European Textile Contor DE 100
43 Niemöller & Abel GmbH & Co. KG DE 98
44 Gollnest & Kiesel GmbH & Co. KG DE   96
45 SKP Italian Style GmbH & Co. KG DE 93
46 Seidl Confiserie GmbH DE 89
47 Mascot GmbH DE 88
47 Nova Via Polstermöbel GmbH DE   88
49 Authentic Style Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG DE 87
50 Bluespoon GmbH DE   86
50 De Zuylenkamp B.V. NL 86
Bereich DPMA

Other topics

5. Register of anonymous and pseudonymous works

5. Register of anonymous and pseudonymous works
1 Some applicants may have submitted several applications or applications for several works.
Year Works in respect of which the author’s true name was filed for registration Applicants 1 Procedures concluded Pending applications at the end of the year
by registration without registration
2016 3 3 1 2 0
2017 0 0 0 0 0
2018 3 2 2 1 0
2019 4 3 4 00
2020 5 2 00 5

6. Patent attorneys and representatives

6. Patent attorneys and representatives
1 Source: German Chamber of Patent Attorneys.
Year Patent attorneys  1 Foreign patent attorneys as members of the German Chamber of Patent Attorneys (section 20 Act on the Activities of European Patent Attorneys in Germany) 1  Patent attorney companies1
entered in register Cancellations registered at the end of the year
2016 146 59 3,630 21 19
2017 183 51 3,762 29 21
2018 153 62 3,853 32 26
2019 156 78 3,931 36 29
2020 157 66 4,022 37 32
6. Patent attorneys and representatives
Year Qualifying examination for patent attorneys General powers of attorney
Number of examinees Sucessful candidates entered in the register cancelled registered at the end of the year
2016 160 155 792 88 32,824
2017 189 183 847 683 32,988
2018 171 165 702 70 33,620
2019 144 137 767 293 34,094
2020 163 155 573 318 34,349
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