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.

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
2017 46,741 14,745 61,486 1,045 5,193 6,238 47,786 19,938 67,724
2018 45,626 15,252 60,8781,0066,0217,027 46,632 21,273 67,905
2019 45,531 14,391 59,922 1,1016,4067,507 46,632 20,797 67,429
2020 41,096 13,487 54,583 1,171 6,354 7,525 42,267 19,841 62,108
2021 38,969 12,699 51,668 843 6,057 6,900 39,812 18,756 58,568

1.2 Patent applications before entry into the examination procedure

1.2 Patent applications before entry into the examination procedure1 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
2017 61,619 20,774 151,492 144,111
201861,021 21,411 151,426 143,970
2019 60,012 20,799 150,735 144,454
2020 54,706 20,887 149,048 143,211
2021 51,748 21,404 143,902 138,764

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
2017 47,450 26,540 36,850 15,653
2018 47,133 26,201 38,110 16,369
2019 47,344 26,000 40,185 18,255
2020 43,337 23,383 41,753 17,305
2021 43,155 22,671 48,489 21,113

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
2017 15,697 16,280 128,947
2018 16,418 15,854 129,488
201918,299 15,746 132,020
2020 17,336 17,002 132,335
2021 21,136 18,707 134,715

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 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
National 7.1 6.7 6.4 7.4 7.1
Foreign 2.0 1.8 1.4 1.7 1.7
Total 5.8 5.4 5.2 5.9 5.7

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)
German Länder 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Baden-Württemberg 14,530 14,607 15,239 13,686 13,570
Bavaria 15,457 14,903 14,035 12,702 11,875
Berlin 716 719 678 674 525
Brandenburg 329 292 297 295 257
Bremen 129 136 142 121 101
Hamburg 790 883 762 622 461
Hesse 1,930 1,615 1,542 1,568 1,479
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 135 145 89 107 98
Lower Saxony 3,513 3,605 3,851 3,233 2,982
North Rhine-Westphalia 7,208 6,846 7,019 6,398 5,675
Rhineland-Palatinate 922 911 834 781 854
Saarland 197 175 215 192 179
Saxony 717 595 668 642 604
Saxony-Anhalt 186 205 194 159 154
Schleswig-Holstein 490 452 469 481 475
Thuringia 537 543 598 606 523
Germany 47,786 46,632 46,632 42,267 39,812

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)
German Länder 2020 2021 Change from 2020 to 2021 (%)
Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
Baden-Württemberg 13,686 32.4 123 13,570 34.1 122 -0.8
Bavaria 12,702 30.1 97 11,875 29.8 90 -6.5
North Rhine-Westphalia 6,398 15.1 36 5,675 14.3 32 -11.3
Lower Saxony 3,233 7.6 40 2,982 7.5 37 -7.8
Hesse 1,568 3.7 25 1,479 3.7 24 -5.7
Rhineland-Palatinate 781 1.8 19 854 2.1 21 +9.3
Saxony 642 1.5 16 604 1.5 15 -5.9
Berlin 674 1.6 18 525 1.3 14 -22.1
Thuringia 606 1.4 29 523 1.3 25 -13.7
Schleswig-Holstein 481 1.1 17 475 1.2 16 -1.2
Hamburg 622 1.5 34 461 1.2 25 -25.9
Brandenburg 295 0.7 12 257 0.6 10 -12.9
Saarland 192 0.5 20 179 0.4 18 -6.8
Saxony-Anhalt 159 0.4 7 154 0.4 7 -3.1
Bremen 121 0.3 18 101 0.3 15 -16.5
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 107 0.3 7 98 0.2 6 -8.4
Germany 42,267 100 51 39,812 100 48 -5.8

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)

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 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Germany 47,786 46,632 46,632 42,267 39,812
Japan 7,283 8,013 7,956 7,248 6,128
USA 6,085 6,669 6,207 5,880 5,892
Republic of Korea 1,173 1,313 1,262 1,617 1,558
Switzerland 924 814 808 777 866
Austria 907 777 713 765 782
Taiwan 618 686 737 933 753
China 646 492 449 499 568
France 248 345 460 303 396
Sweden 464 393 380 321 320
Others 1,590 1,771 1,825 1,498 1,493
Total 67,724 67,905 67,429 62,108 58,568

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 2017 2018 2019 2020 20211
Baden-Württemberg 67 75 72 66 72
Bavaria 66 59 61 59 44
Berlin 28 19 22 16 12
Brandenburg 19 9 13 14 15
Bremen 20 16 12 12 8
Hamburg 26 17 15 17 16
Hesse 61 54 42 45 44
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 19 29 14 19 20
Lower Saxony 62 55 45 43 29
North Rhine-Westphalia 124 129 141 131 131
Rhineland-Palatinate 7 16 11 10 15
Saarland 4 6 13 5 7
Saxony 97 81 120 118 109
Saxony-Anhalt 32 34 26 27 26
Schleswig-Holstein 22 22 19 22 17
Thuringia 46 40 30 26 24
Germany1 698 658 655 629 587

1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity

1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity (in %) 
Percentage of applicants having filed 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
one application 65.7 64.7 64.9 66.9 66.7
2 to 10 applications 29.7 30.6 30.4 28.9 28.8
11 to 100 applications 4.0 4.2 4.2 3.8 4.0
more then 100 applications 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5
Total 100 100 100 100 100
1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity (in %) 
Percentage of applications by appplicants having filed 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
one application 12.2 11.4 11.3 13.2 12.7
2 to 10 applications 18.4 18.0 17.9 18.9 18.3
11 to 100 applications 20.0 20.5 21.4 21.2 19.7
more then 100 applications 49.3 50.1 49.4 46.7 49.3
Total 100 100 100 100 100

1.11 Opposition proceedings

1.11 Opposition proceedings1 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
2017 376 442 142 236 1,420
2018 338 453 130 256 1,302
2019 294 415 142 222 1,182
2020 259 304 102 148 1,138
2021 252 244 78 113 1,146

1.12 Patent applications by technology fields with the largest number of applications in 2021

Patent applications by technology fields with the largest number of applications in 2021 as line chart

Technology field 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Transport 11,614 (Rank 1) 12,440 (Rank 1) 12,891 (Rank 1) 10,781 (Rank 1) 10,482 (Rank 1)
Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy 7,255 (Rank 2) 7,460 (Rank 2) 7,181 (Rank 2) 7,025 (Rank 2) 7,168 (Rank 2)
Measurement 4,934 (Rank 4) 5,008 (Rank 4) 5,067 (Rank 4) 4,581 (Rank 3) 4,490 (Rank 3)
Mechanical elements 6,306 (Rank 3) 5,885 (Rank 3) 5,400 (Rank 3) 4,434 (Rank 4) 4,080 (Rank 4)
Computer technology 2,008 (Rank 10) 2,560 (Rank 6) 2,642 (Rank 6) 3,143 (Rank 5) 2,891 (Rank 5)
Engines, pumps, turbines 4,578 (Rank 5) 4,286 (Rank 5) 3,457 (Rank 5) 2,707 (Rank 6) 2,298 (Rank 6)
Civil engineering 2,379 (Rank 7) 2,266 (Rank 9) 2,335 (Rank 9) 2,166 (Rank 10) 1,980 (Rank 7)
Medical technology 1,953 (Rank 11) 1,924 (Rank 12) 2,165 (Rank 10) 2,383 (Rank 7) 1,977 (Rank 8)
Machine tools 2,626 (Rank 6) 2,308 (Rank 7) 2,416 (Rank 7) 2,267 (Rank 8) 1,958 (Rank 9)
Semiconductors 1,805 (Rank 12) 1,974 (Rank 11) 2,151 (Rank 12) 2,242 (Rank 9) 1,939 (Rank 10)
Handling 2,183 (Rank 9) 2,287 (Rank 8) 2,341 (Rank 8) 2,055 (Rank 11) 1,930 (Rank 11)
Other special machines 2,187 (Rank 8) 2,227 (Rank 10) 2,163 (Rank 11) 2,033 (Rank 12) 1,900 (Rank 12)
1.12 Patent applications by technology fields with the largest number of applications in 20211 According to the WIPO IPC-Technology Concordance Table.

1.13 Companies and institutions with the highest number of patent applications in 2021

1.13 Companies and institutions with the highest number of patent applications in 2021
(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 3,966
2 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG DE 1,860
3 Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG DE 1,806
4 Daimler AG DE 1,315
4 ZF Friedrichshafen AG DE 1,315
6 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE 1,243
7 Ford Global Technologies, LLC   US 997
8 AUDI AG DE 747
9 GM Global Technology Operations LLC   US 704
10 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG DE 651
11 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation   JP 650
12 DENSO Corporation   JP 453
13 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.   TW 451
14 Toyota Jidosha K.K.   JP 415
15 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH DE 387
16 Intel Corporation   US 385
17 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. DE 357
18 OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH DE 354
19 Infineon Technologies AG DE 344
20 Miele & Cie. KG DE 342
21 MAHLE International GmbH DE 317
22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP   US 284
23 Deere & Company   US 283
24 International Business Machines Corporation   US 282
25 Hyundai Motor Company   KR 281
26 Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH DE 265
27 Continental Automotive GmbH DE 263
28 Kia Corporation   KR 240
29 SEW-EURODRIVE GmbH & Co KG DE 233
30 Vitesco Technologies GmbH DE 231
31 Siemens Healthcare GmbH DE 217
32 Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH DE 212
32 Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH DE 212
34 NVIDIA Corporation   US 207
35 KRONES AG DE 202
36 Honda Motor Co., Ltd.   JP 195
37 Siemens Mobility GmbH DE 194
38 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.   KR 191
39 Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.   JP 182
40 Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG DE 181
41 HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA DE 180
42 PSA Automobiles SA FR 179
43 Voith Patent GmbH DE 157
44 Webasto SE DE 156
45 Shimano Inc.   JP 155
46 Aktiebolaget SKF   SE 148
47 Illinois Tool Works Inc. US 146
48 Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG, Bamberg DE 140
49 Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. DE 139
49 Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation   JP 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
2017 13,300 9,480 31 13,331 11,881 1,761 13,642
2018 12,305 8,798 21 12,326 11,294 1,619 12,913
2019 11,665 8,434 14 11,679 10,293 1,540 11,833
2020 12,313 8,894 14 12,327 10,734 1,495 12,229
2021 10,577 7,018 13 10,590 9,972 1,365 11,337
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
20174,561 81,005 18,821 14,033
2018 3,971 79,266 20,551 13,074
2019 3,816 76,895 18,828 12,682
2020 3,912 74,858 18,172 12,805
2021 3,163 72,728 18,138 12,126

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
201710110224
201800000123
201900000221
2020 00000120
2021 3 1 2 301 20

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 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Baden-Württemberg 1,733 1,624 1,580 1,578 1,291
Bavaria 2,054 1,982 1,901 2,021 1,534
Berlin 322 308 342 343 255
Brandenburg 134 98 164 106 96
Bremen 52 44 34 46 32
Hamburg 156 177 140 154 126
Hesse 628 614 479 615 493
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 54 56 43 61 55
Lower Saxony 652 618 563 594 543
North Rhine-Westphalia 2,529 2,181 2,175 2,250 1,697
Rhineland-Palatinate 390 303 351 352 282
Saarland 72 65 49 68 49
Saxony 258 294 222 286 196
Saxony-Anhalt 102 116 98 109 69
Schleswig-Holstein 202 183 167 180 175
Thuringia 142 135 126 131 125
Germany 9,480 8,798 8,434 8,894 7,018

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 2020 2021 Change from 2020 to 2021 (%)
Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 2,250 25.3 13 1,697 24.2 9 -24.6
Bavaria 2,021 22.7 15 1,534 21.9 12 -24.1
Baden-Württemberg 1,578 17.7 14 1,291 18.4 12 -18.2
Lower Saxony 594 6.7 7 543 7.7 7 -8.6
Hesse 615 6.9 10 493 7.0 8 -19.8
Rhineland-Palatinate 352 4.0 9 282 4.0 7 -19.6
Berlin 343 3.9 9 255 3.6 7 -25.7
Saxony 286 3.2 7 196 2.8 5 -31.5
Schleswig-Holstein 180 2.0 6 175 2.5 6 -2.8
Hamburg 154 1.7 8 126 1.8 7 -18.2
Thuringia 131 1.5 6 125 1.8 6 -4.6
Brandenburg 106 1.2 4 96 1.4 4 -9.4
Saxony-Anhalt 109 1.2 5 69 1.0 3 -36.7
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 61 0.7 4 55 0.8 3 -9.8
Saarland 68 0.8 7 49 0.7 5 -27.9
Bremen 46 0.5 7 32 0.5 5 -30.4
Germany 8,894 100 11 7,018 100 8 -21.1
Bereich Marken

National trade marks

3.1 Applications and registrations

3.1 Applications and registrations1 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
2017 72,048 67,441 47.1 371 72,419 50,954
201870,534 65,661 47.3 356 70,890 50,584
201973,635 68,260 46.1 387 74,022 55,026
2020 84,623 78,716 44.8 338 84,961 60,428
2021 87,631 81,815 44.0 290 87,921 68,597

3.2 Opposition proceedings

3.2 Opposition proceedings1 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
2017 2,854 4,227 4,227 2,118 616 613
2018 2,793 4,150 4,150 1,798 445 596
20192,952 3,398 5,046 1,827 438 607
2020 2,745 2,969 4,613 1,818 521 633
2021 3,225 3,481 5,586 1,712 428 642

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
201744,11735,215 811,614
201846,49539,940 815,703
201940,31139,834 830,411
202045,17239,491 845,635
2021 45,805 35,945 868,401

3.4 Procedures for the international registration of marks

3.4a Applications for international registration of marks originating from Germanyd
Year Applications received Procedures concluded Cases pending at the end of the year
Applications transmitted to WIPO 1 Applications withdrawn or refused
20174,7134,636114302
20184,6974,51389397
20194,6384,651116271
2020 4,415 4,255 137 294
2021 4,958 4,779 125 351
3.4b Extension of protection of international registrations of marks originating from Madrid Union countries to Germany1 Not including requests for the extension of protection under Art. 3ter(2) Madrid Agreement; 157 requests for the extension of protection were received in 2021, and 160 requests were transmitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
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
20174,6783,4263115123,00428023
20184,8283,5902647103,26736117
20195,196 4,1233557013,27621514
20204,819 3,644336772 3,341 17223
2021 4,686 3,034 372 1,229 3,389 171 26

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 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Baden-Württemberg 8,767 8,339 8,540 10,141 9,992
Bavaria 12,506 12,308 12,281 14,470 14,845
Berlin 5,334 5,458 5,459 5,930 6,014
Brandenburg 1,177 1,075 1,208 1,440 1,388
Bremen 587 535 604 633 750
Hamburg 3,377 3,501 3,442 4,091 4,185
Hesse 5,512 5,214 5,553 6,312 6,443
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 628 578 670 765 850
Lower Saxony 4,826 4,672 5,119 5,708 6,089
North Rhine-Westphalia 15,135 14,557 15,549 18,124 19,842
Rhineland-Palatinate 3,085 3,043 3,156 3,606 3,815
Saarland 616 548 581 723 636
Saxony 2,109 2,049 2,067 2,316 2,281
Saxony-Anhalt 644 766 815 850 814
Schleswig-Holstein 2,198 2,208 2,275 2,649 2,792
Thuringia 940 810 941 958 1,079
Germany 67,441 65,661 68,260 78,716 81,815

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 2020 2021 Change from 2020 to 2021 (%)
Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Percentage Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 18,124 23.0 101 19,842 24.3 111 +9.5
Bavaria 14,470 18.4 110 14,845 18.1 113 +2.6
Baden-Württemberg 10,141 12.9 91 9,992 12.2 90 -1.5
Hesse 6,312 8.0 100 6,443 7.9 102 +2.1
Lower Saxony 5,708 7.3 71 6,089 7.4 76 +6.7
Berlin 5,930 7.5 162 6,014 7.4 164 +1.4
Hamburg 4,091 5.2 221 4,185 5.1 226 +2.3
Rhineland-Palatinate 3,606 4.6 88 3,815 4.7 93 +5.8
Schleswig-Holstein 2,649 3.4 91 2,792 3.4 96 +5.4
Saxony 2,316 2.9 57 2,281 2.8 56 -1.5
Brandenburg 1,440 1.8 57 1,388 1.7 55 -3.6
Thuringia 958 1.2 45 1,079 1.3 51 +12.6
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 765 1.0 47 850 1.0 53 +11.1
Saxony-Anhalt 850 1.1 39 814 1.0 37 -4.2
Bremen 633 0.8 93 750 0.9 110 +18.5
Saarland 723 0.9 73 636 0.8 65 -12.0
Germany 78,716 100 95 81,815 100 98 +3.9

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 2020 2021 Change (%)
1 35 Advertising; business management, organisation and administration; office functions 29,351 29,974 +2.1
2 41 Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities 20,666 20,483 -0.9
3 9 Electrical apparatus and instruments; computer hardware; software; optical apparatus and instruments 16,312 16,613 +1.8
4 42 Scientific and technological services 15,258 15,549 +1.9
5 25 Clothing, footwear and headgear 12,810 13,262 +3.5
6 16 Office requisites; stationery 10,402 10,636 +2.2
7 21 Household and kitchen utensils and containers; articles for cleaning purposes; tableware, dishes; glassware 7,001 8,259 +18.0
8 36 Insurance and financial services; real estate affairs 6,900 7,647 + 10.8
9 44 Medical services; hygienic and beauty care; agriculture, horticulture and forestry services 7,195 7,531 +4.7
10 30 Foodstuffs of plant origin; pastries, pasta and confectionery; seasonings, condiments; coffee, tea and cocoa; sugar 6,483 7,418 +14.4
11 43 Services for providing food and drink; temporary accommodation 6,704 6,967 +3.9
12 38 Telecommunications services 6,655 6,717 +0.9
13 37 Building, construction and repair services; installation services 6,916 6,485 -6.2
14 28 Games, sports articles 5,550 6,472 +16.6
15 5 Pharmaceuticals; materials for dressings; disinfectants; dietary supplements 7,005 6,458 -7.8
16 20 Furniture and home decorations 5,437 6,030 +10.9
17 3 Cleaning preparations; cosmetics; perfumery 6,334 5,960 -5.9
18 18 Leather products; luggage and carrying bags 5,347 5,717 +6.9
19 32 Non-alcoholic beverages; beers 4,639 5,335 +15.0
20 39 Transport and travel arrangement; packaging and storage of goods 5,099 4,995 -2.0
21 29 Foodstuffs of animal origin; milk products; processed fruits and vegetables 4,252 4,877 +14.7
22 33 Alcoholic beverages 4,169 4,794 +15.0
23 11 Heating; ventilation; apparatus and installations for sanitary purposes 4,770 4,492 -5.8
24 45 Legal services; security services for the physical protection of individuals 4,557 4,364 -4.2
25 40 Treatment of materials; printing services 4,254 4,250 -0.1
26 24 Woven material and blankets; household linen 3,288 3,855 +17.2
27 7 Machines, motors and engines 3,729 3,838 +2.9
28 14 Jewellery, clocks and watches 3,351 3,510 +4.7
29 12 Vehicles 3,237 3,234 -0.1
30 31 Agricultural, horticultural and forestry products; foodstuffs for animals 2,645 3,181 +20.3
31 10 Medical apparatus and instruments; orthopaedic articles 3,747 2,983 -20.4
32 6 Common metals and goods made thereof for building and construction; small items of metal hardware 2,793 2,772 -0.8
33 1 Chemicals; fertilizers; unprocessed plastics and artificial resins 2,654 2,568 -3.2
34 8 Hand tools; cutlery 2,223 2,193 -1.3
35 19 Non-metallic building and construction materials 2,061 2,113 +2.5
36 4 Industrial oils and lubricants; fuels 1,524 1,738 +14.0
37 26 Haberdashery; decorative articles for the hair 1,612 1,640 +1.7
38 17 Insulating materials; semi-processed goods; flexible pipes, tubes and hoses, not of metal 1,325 1,239 -6.5
39 34 Tobacco, smokers’ articles 1,153 1,226 +6.3
40 27 Floor coverings and mats; wall coverings and ceiling lining 1,111 1,124 +1.2
41 2 Paints; varnishes; lacquers; printing inks 1,138 1,008 -11,4
42 22 Ropes; tents, tarpaulins and sails 977 879 -10,0
43 15 Musical instruments 490 504 +2,9
44 23 Yarns and threads 239 213 -10,9
45 13 Firearms 290 183 -36.9
Not classified 56 94
Total 253,709 261,380 +3.0

3.8 Top companies and institutions in terms of trade mark registrations in 2021

3.8 Top companies and institutions in terms of trade mark registrations in 2021 (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 Make Great Sales Ltd.   US 79
2 Bahlsen GmbH & Co. KG DE   66
3 Private Mark GmbH DE   65
4 Henkel AG & Co. KGaA DE 53
4 Rotkäppchen - Mumm Sektkellereien GmbH DE   53
6 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG DE 43
6 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. DE 43
8 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE   42
9 Nordbrand Nordhausen GmbH DE   39
10 ARD-Werbung SALES & SERVICES GmbH DE   36
10 Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG DE   36
10 SLV GmbH DE   36
13 MERCK KGaA DE   35
14 August Storck KG DE   34
15 BASF SE DE   32
15 Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH DE   32
17 Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH
 DE   31
17 HARIBO Holding GmbH & Co. KG DE 31
17 Liesegang und Partner mbB, Rechtsanwälte DE   31
20 Daimler AG DE 29
Bereich Designs

Designs

4.1 Applications and procedures concluded

4.1 Applications and procedures concluded1 Provisional for 2021, 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
201744,066 2,677 46,743 40,476 47,175 39,840 5,803 52,978
2018 41,643 2,416 44,059 39,016 47,647 42,464 5,569 53,216
201940,843 2,256 43,099 36,398 41,145 36,186 3,841 44,986
2020 37,649 2,494 40,143 35,856 37,131 33,214 4,226 41,357
2021 33,643 2,427 36,070 32,819 31,083 28,323 3,404 34,487

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 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Baden-Württemberg 6,259 6,645 6,726 5,056 4,869
Bavaria 8,424 8,521 7,950 6,139 4,853
Berlin 1,633 1,960 1,778 1,731 1,875
Brandenburg 531 321 297 172 150
Bremen 272 133 110 98 135
Hamburg 1,210 916 844 715 719
Hesse 1,820 1,590 1,362 1,544 1,351
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 165 143 92 188 134
Lower Saxony 3,041 2,747 2,418 2,546 1,729
North Rhine-Westphalia 10,979 13,287 10,957 10,584 9,172
Rhineland-Palatinate 1,462 1,595 1,020 1,114 930
Saarland 243 210 163 308 115
Saxony 1,268 1,825 1,298 1,269 953
Saxony-Anhalt 326 458 274 580 220
Schleswig-Holstein 1,878 1,725 658 892 925
Thuringia 329 388 239 278 193
Germany 39,840 42,464 36,186 33,214 28,323

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
201725,787 3,552 15,937 47,716 312,558 63 90
201816,597 3,599 14,563 46,454 313,751 31 71
201914,708 3,386 15,034 51,458 303,438 29 48
2020 13,492 3,405 15,451 50,005 290,564 59 63
2021 15,055 3,204 16,412 51,200 270,447 19 28

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 2020 2021 Change from 2020 to 2021 (%)
Registered designs Percentage Registered designs per 100,000 inhabitants Registered designs Percentage Registered designs per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 10,584 31.9 59 9,172 32.4 51 -13.3
Baden-Württemberg 5,056 15.2 46 4,869 17.2 44 -3.7
Bavaria 6,139 18.5 47 4,853 17.1 37 -20.9
Berlin 1,731 5.2 47 1,875 6.6 51 +8.3
Lower Saxony 2,546 7.7 32 1,729 6.1 22 -32.1
Hesse 1,544 4.6 25 1,351 4.8 21 -12.5
Saxony 1,269 3.8 31 953 3.4 23 -24.9
Rhineland-Palatinate 1,114 3.4 27 930 3.3 23 -16.5
Schleswig-Holstein 892 2.7 31 925 3.3 32 +3.7
Hamburg 715 2.2 39 719 2.5 39 +0.6
Saxony-Anhalt 580 1.7 27 220 0.8 10 -62.1
Thuringia 278 0.8 13 193 0.7 9 -30.6
Brandenburg 172 0.5 7 150 0.5 6 -12.8
Bremen 98 0.3 14 135 0.5 20 +37.8
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 188 0.6 12 134 0.5 8 -28.7
Saarland 308 0.9 31 115 0.4 12 -62.7
Germany 33,214 100 40 28,323 100 34 -14.7

4.5 Top companies and institutions in terms of registered designs at the DPMA in 2021

4.5 Top companies and institutions in terms of registered designs at the DPMA in 2021 (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 Betty Barclay Group GmbH & Co. KG DE
960
2 The House of Art GmbH DE
867
3 AstorMueller AG
CH 804
4 Miroglio Textile S.r.l.
IT 700
5 monari GmbH DE
519
6 Daimler AG DE
479
7 OLYMP Bezner KG DE
444
8 Goebel Porzellan GmbH DE
363
9 WOFI LEUCHTEN Wortmann & Filz GmbH DE
359
10 H.W. Hustadt Besitz- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbh & Co.KG DE
313
11 Albani Group GmbH & Co. KG DE
300
12 GEMINI Schuhproduktions- und Vertriebs GmbH DE
282
13 Wolf Möbel GmbH & Co. KG DE
234
14 InnoTex Merkel & Rau GmbH DE
213
15 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE
198
16 Räder GmbH DE
169
17 Urban Products Sacha GmbH DE
163
18 Paul Green GmbH
AT 153
19 Sichtflug UG (haftungsbeschränkt) DE
149
20 Bluespoon GmbH DE
146
Bereich DPMA

Other topics

5. Register of anonymous and pseudonymous works

5. Register of anonymous and pseudonymous works1 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
2017 0 0 0 0 0
2018 3 2 2 1 0
2019 4 3 4 00
2020 5 2 00 5
2021 2 2 6 1 0

6. Patent attorneys and representatives

6. Patent attorneys and representatives1 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
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
2021 158 81 4,099 40 35
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
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
2021 174 166 707 369 34,687
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