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 effective in Germany

1.1 National patent applications at the DPMA and international patent applications effective 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
2018 45,624 15,254 60,8781,0066,0217,027 46,630 21,275 67,905
2019 45,532 14,390 59,922 1,1016,4067,507 46,633 20,796 67,429
2020 41,097 13,487 54,584 1,171 6,354 7,525 42,268 19,841 62,109
2021 38,984 12,689 51,673 843 6,057 6,900 39,827 18,746 58,573
2022 36,507 13,702 50,209 687 6,318 7,005 37,194 20,020 57,214

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
Total Applications for which formal examination has been concluded
201861,020 21,413 151,421 143,969
2019 60,012 20,800 150,727 144,449
2020 54,709 20,891 149,035 143,202
2021 51,765 21,410 143,791 138,745
2022 50,277 18,398 140,181 134,450

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
TotalExamination requests received along with application
2018 47,135 26,203 38,111 16,369
2019 47,347 26,003 40,189 18,255
2020 43,351 23,391 41,764 17,305
2021 43,346 22,693 48,504 21,113
2022 43,126 22,661 45,498 23,592

1.4 Patents in force (granted by the DPMA)

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
2018 16,418 15,854 129,479
201918,299 15,746 132,011
2020 17,336 17,002 132,329
2021 21,143 18,732 134,727
2022 23,615 15,656 142,659

1.5 Percentage of patent applications where 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 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
National 6.6 6.4 7.3 6.9 6.0
Foreign 1.8 1.4 1.7 1.7 1.5
Total 5.4 5.2 5.9 5.6 4.7

1.6 Patent applications (applications at DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase) broken down by German Land (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)

1.6 Patent applications (applications at DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase) by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Baden-Württemberg 14,607 15,239 13,686 13,571 13,444
Bavaria 14,903 14,035 12,702 11,879 10,548
Berlin 719 678 675 526 480
Brandenburg 292 297 295 257 228
Bremen 136 142 121 102 105
Hamburg 882 762 622 463 375
Hesse 1,615 1,542 1,568 1,479 1,202
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 145 89 107 98 176
Lower Saxony 3,605 3,852 3,233 2,985 2,792
North Rhine-Westphalia 6,846 7,019 6,398 5,675 5,292
Rhineland-Palatinate 911 834 781 856 804
Saarland 175 215 192 178 137
Saxony 595 668 642 604 592
Saxony-Anhalt 204 194 159 154 122
Schleswig-Holstein 452 469 481 475 427
Thuringia 543 598 606 525 470
Germany 46,630 46,633 42,268 39,827 37,194

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

1.7 Patent applications, shares and applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or prinicpal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2021 2022 Change from 2021 to 2022 (%)
Applications Share Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Share Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
Baden-Württemberg 13,571 34.1 122 13,444 36.1 121 -0.9
Bavaria 11,879 29.8 90 10,548 28.4 80 -11.2
North Rhine-Westphalia 5,675 14.2 32 5,292 14.2 30 -6.7
Lower Saxony 2,985 7.5 37 2,792 7.5 35 -6.5
Hesse 1,479 3.7 23 1,202 3.2 19 -18.7
Rhineland-Palatinate 856 2.1 21 804 2.2 20 -6.1
Saxony 604 1.5 15 592 1.6 15 -2.0
Berlin 526 1.3 14 480 1.3 13 -8.7
Thuringia 525 1.3 25 470 1.3 22 -10.5
Schleswig-Holstein 475 1.2 16 427 1.1 15 -10.1
Hamburg 463 1.2 25 375 1.0 20 -19.0
Brandenburg 257 0.6 10 228 0.6 9 -11.3
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 98 0.2 6 176 0.5 11 +79.6
Saarland 178 0.4 18 137 0.4 14 -23.0
Saxony-Anhalt 154 0.4 7 122 0.3 6 -20.8
Bremen 102 0.3 15 105 0.3 16 +2.9
Germany 39,827 100 48 37,194 100 45 -6.6

1.8 Patent applications by country 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 country of origin (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
(applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)
Country 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Germany 46,630 46,633 42,268 39,827 37,194
United States 6,669 6,207 5,880 5,893 6,847
Japan 8,013 7,956 7,248 6,129 6,339
Republic of Korea 1,313 1,262 1,617 1,558 1,636
Austria 778 713 765 782 867
Switzerland 814 808 777 867 863
China 492 449 499 568 702
Taiwan 686 737 933 753 498
France 345 460 303 400 428
Sweden 393 380 321 320 360
Other 1,772 1,824 1,498 1,476 1,480
Total 67,905 67,429 62,109 58,573 57,214

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 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Baden-Württemberg 75 72 66 72 49
Bavaria 59 61 59 44 57
Berlin 19 22 16 12 15
Brandenburg 9 13 14 15 12
Bremen 16 12 12 8 12
Hamburg 17 15 17 16 7
Hesse 54 42 45 44 22
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 29 14 19 20 11
Lower Saxony 55 45 43 29 29
North Rhine-Westphalia 129 141 131 131 114
Rhineland-Palatinate 16 11 10 15 13
Saarland 6 13 5 7 2
Saxony 81 120 118 109 105
Saxony-Anhalt 34 26 27 26 10
Schleswig-Holstein 22 19 22 17 15
Thuringia 40 30 26 24 28
Germany1 658 655 629 587 501

1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity (%)

1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity (%) 
Percentage of applicants having filed 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
one application 64.7 64.8 66.9 66.7 65.3
2 to 10 applications 30.6 30.4 28.9 28.8 29.6
11 to 100 applications 4.2 4.2 3.8 4.0 4.5
more then 100 applications 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.7
Total 100 100 100 100 100
1.10 Breakdown of domestic patent applicants by filing activity (%) 
Percentage of applications by appplicants having filed 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
one application 11.4 11.3 13.2 12.7 11.2
2 to 10 applications 18.0 17.9 18.9 18.3 17.6
11 to 100 applications 20.5 21.5 21.3 19.7 21.1
more then 100 applications 50.1 49.4 46.7 49.3 50.2
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 Patent revoked Patent maintained or patent maintained in amended form
2018 338 453 130 256 1,302
2019 294 415 142 222 1,182
2020 259 304 102 148 1,138
2021 252 249 79 117 1,141
2022 230 301 92 155 1,070

1.12 Patent applications by technology fields1 with the largest number of applications in 2022

Patent applications by technology fields with the largest number of applications in 2022 as line chart

Technology field 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Transport 12,440 (Rank 1) 12,891 (Rank 1) 10,781 (Rank 1) 10,496 (Rank 1) 10,329 (Rank 1)
Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy 7,460 (Rank 2) 7,181 (Rank 2) 7,025 (Rank 2) 7,180 (Rank 2) 7,317 (Rank 2)
Measurement 5,008 (Rank 4) 5,067 (Rank 4) 4,581 (Rank 3) 4,493 (Rank 3) 4,290 (Rank 3)
Mechanical elements 5,885 (Rank 3) 5,400 (Rank 3) 4,434 (Rank 4) 4,088 (Rank 4) 3,601 (Rank 4)
Computer technology 2,560 (Rank 6) 2,642 (Rank 6) 3,143 (Rank 5) 2,905 (Rank 5) 3,472 (Rank 5)
Other special machines 2,227 (Rank 10) 2,163 (Rank 11) 2,033 (Rank 12) 1,902 (Rank 12) 1,941 (Rank 6)
Engines, pumps, turbines 4,286 (Rank 5) 3,457 (Rank 5) 2,707 (Rank 6) 2,303 (Rank 6) 1,890 (Rank 7)
Handling 2,287 (Rank 8) 2,341 (Rank 8) 2,055 (Rank 11) 1,933 (Rank 11) 1,880 (Rank 8)
Semiconductors 1,974 (Rank 11) 2,151 (Rank 12) 2,242 (Rank 9) 1,940 (Rank 10) 1,867 (Rank 9)
Machine tools 2,308 (Rank 7) 2,416 (Rank 7) 2,267 (Rank 8) 1,958 (Rank 9) 1,849 (Rank 10)
Civil engineering 2,266 (Rank 9) 2,335 (Rank 9) 2,166 (Rank 10) 1,981 (Rank 7) 1,847 (Rank 11)
Medical technology 1,924 (Rank 12) 2,165 (Rank 10) 2,384 (Rank 7) 1,978 (Rank 8) 1,756 (Rank 12)
1.12 Patent applications by technology fields with the largest number of applications in 2022 (applications at DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)1 According to the WIPO IPC-Technology Concordance Table.

1.13 Companies and institutions with the highest numbers of patent applications in 2022 (applications at DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)

1.13 Companies and institutions with the highest numbers of patent applications in 2022
(applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)1 Without taking into account any business intra-group affiliations.
Rank Applicant1 Principal place of business Applications
1 Robert Bosch GmbH DE 3,946
2 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG DE 1,867
3 ZF Friedrichshafen AG DE 1,394
4 Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG DE 1,266
5 Mercedes-Benz Group AG DE 1,228
6 Ford Global Technologies, LLC   US 1,204
7 GM Global Technology Operations LLC   US 1,109
8 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE 1,041
9 AUDI AG DE 749
10 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG DE 701
11 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation   JP 650
12 Intel Corporation   US 522
13 Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH DE 388
14 DENSO Corporation   JP 352
15 NVIDIA Corporation   US 351
16 International Business Machines Corporation   US 350
17 Infineon Technologies AG DE 318
18 Miele & Cie. KG DE 316
19 Toyota Jidosha K.K.   JP 308
20 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH DE 293
21 MAHLE International GmbH DE 290
22 Hyundai Motor Company   KR 289
23 Kia Corporation   KR 288
24 ams-OSRAM International GmbH DE 273
25 Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH DE 241
26 SEW-EURODRIVE GmbH & Co KG DE 233
27 Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.   JP 232
28 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V. DE 230
29 Continental Automotive GmbH DE 223
30 KRONES AG DE 220
31 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.   TW 212
32 Shimano Inc.   JP 207
32 Siemens Mobility GmbH DE 207
32 Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH DE 207
35 FANUC Corporation   JP 205
36 Deere & Company   US 199
37 Makita Corporation   JP 197
38 HL Mando Corp.   KR 191
39 PSA Automobiles SA FR 187
39 Vitesco Technologies GmbH DE 187
41 Siemens Healthcare GmbH DE 184
42 Aktiebolaget SKF   SE 183
42 HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA DE 183
44 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP   US 180
45 Voith Patent GmbH DE 176
46 Micron Technology Inc US 169
47 Apple Inc. US 166
48 Nidec Corporation   JP 164
49 Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. DE 159
50 Webasto SE DE 154
Section Utility models

Utility models and topographies

2.1 Utility models (applications at DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase)

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 applicationsOther 1TotalBy registrationWithout registrationTotal
2018 12,307 8,799 21 12,328 11,295 1,619 12,914
2019 11,667 8,435 14 11,681 10,295 1,540 11,835
2020 12,313 8,894 15 12,328 10,736 1,496 12,232
2021 10,575 7,028 15 10,590 9,972 1,364 11,336
2022 9,469 5,520 14 9,483 8,765 1,083 9,848
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
2018 3,972 79,274 20,631 13,074
2019 3,817 76,905 18,953 12,682
2020 3,913 74,869 18,308 12,806
2021 3,165 72,738 18,176 12,129
2022 2,793 70,253 17,631 11,270

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 Registrations in force at the end of the year
By registrationWithout registrationTotal
201800000123
201900000221
2020 00000120
2021 3 1 2 301 20
2022 2 1 0 1 1 2 19

2.3 Utility model applications (applications at DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase) by German Länder

2.3 Utility model applications (applications at the DPMA and PCT applications in the national phase) by German Land (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Baden-Württemberg 1,624 1,580 1,578 1,292 1,092
Bavaria 1,983 1,902 2,020 1,535 1,205
Berlin 308 342 343 254 188
Brandenburg 98 164 106 97 62
Bremen 44 34 46 32 28
Hamburg 177 140 154 128 97
Hesse 614 479 615 493 330
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 56 43 61 55 37
Lower Saxony 618 563 595 541 419
North Rhine-Westphalia 2,181 2,174 2,250 1,699 1,397
Rhineland-Palatinate 303 352 352 283 208
Saarland 65 49 68 49 26
Saxony 294 222 286 198 149
Saxony-Anhalt 116 98 109 69 60
Schleswig-Holstein 183 167 180 175 136
Thuringia 135 126 131 128 86
Germany 8,799 8,435 8,894 7,028 5,520

2.4 Utility model applications, shares and applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)

2.4 Utility model applications, shares and applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2021 2022 Change from 2021 to 2022 (%)
Applications Share Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Share Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 1,699 24.2 9 1,397 25.3 8 -17.8
Bavaria 1,535 21.8 12 1,205 21.8 9 -21.5
Baden-Württemberg 1,292 18.4 12 1,092 19.8 10 -15.5
Lower Saxony 541 7.7 7 419 7.6 5 -22.6
Hesse 493 7.0 8 330 6.0 5 -33.1
Rhineland-Palatinate 283 4.0 7 208 3.8 5 -26.5
Berlin 254 3.6 7 188 3.4 5 -26.0
Saxony 198 2.8 5 149 2.7 4 -24.7
Schleswig-Holstein 175 2.5 6 136 2.5 5 -22.3
Hamburg 128 1.8 7 97 1.8 5 -24.2
Thuringia 128 1.8 6 86 1.6 4 -32.8
Brandenburg 97 1.4 4 62 1.1 2 -36.1
Saxony-Anhalt 69 1.0 3 60 1.1 3 -13.0
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 55 0.8 3 37 0.7 2 -32.7
Bremen 32 0.5 5 28 0.5 4 -12.5
Saarland 49 0.7 5 26 0.5 3 -46.9
Germany 7,028 100 8 5,520 100 7 -21.5
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.
Year Filings  Registration pursuant to section 41 Trade Mark Act (Markengesetz)
New applications After being concluded by the Federal Patent Court Total
Total Domestic applications Proportion of services (%) 1
2018 70,542 65,669 47.3 354 70,896 50,588
2019 73,627 68,252 46.1 386 74,013 55,030
2020 84,623 78,713 44.8 335 84,958 60,436
2021 87,649 81,816 44.0 289 87,938 68,609
2022 73,309 68,209 44.3 290 73,599 53,621

3.2 Opposition proceedings1

3.2 Opposition proceedings1Contrary to the previous statistical data, the beginning of the proceedings is defined by the date the first opposition is received. It is no longer defined by the date of publication of the oppositions lodged following expiry of the opposition period.
2Since 14 January 2019 an opposition can be based on several earlier rights (opposing signs) if they belong to the same proprietor.
3 (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 2 Without affecting the trade mark Cancellation in full or in part Procedure obsolete3
2018 2,903 4,269 4,276 1,876 445 639
2019 2,994 3,289 5,194 1,909 438 636
2020 2,842 3,063 4,816 1,893 521 662
2021 3,305 3,565 5,697 1,784 428 680
2022 2,764 2,981 4,952 1,750 530 638

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
201846,49539,940 815,729
2019 40,312 39,834 830,441
2020 45,181 39,491 845,674
2021 45,817 35,945 868,455
2022 41,520 34,369 880,538

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
20184,6974,51389397
20194,6384,651116271
2020 4,415 4,255 137 294
2021 4,958 4,779 125 351
2022 4,385 4,386 120 230
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; 89 requests for the extension of protection were received in 2022, and 91 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
20184,8283,5902647103,26736117
20195,196 4,069 355701 3,330 21514
20204,819 3,583 336772 3,456 17223
2021 4,686 2,969 371 1,222 3,577 171 26
2022 4,118 3,560 287 712 3,134 145 34

3.5 National trade mark applications by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)

3.5 National trade mark applications by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the applicant)
German Länder 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Baden-Württemberg 8,340 8,539 10,141 9,991 8,359
Bavaria 12,310 12,280 14,470 14,843 12,530
Berlin 5,459 5,459 5,929 6,010 5,182
Brandenburg 1,075 1,208 1,440 1,388 1,166
Bremen 535 604 633 749 535
Hamburg 3,501 3,442 4,090 4,189 3,267
Hesse 5,215 5,552 6,311 6,445 5,273
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 578 670 765 852 616
Lower Saxony 4,673 5,118 5,709 6,084 4,696
North Rhine-Westphalia 14,559 15,547 18,123 19,859 17,716
Rhineland-Palatinate 3,043 3,155 3,606 3,808 2,803
Saarland 548 581 723 638 501
Saxony 2,049 2,067 2,314 2,276 1,841
Saxony-Anhalt 766 814 851 818 705
Schleswig-Holstein 2,208 2,275 2,649 2,789 2,142
Thuringia 810 941 959 1,077 877
Germany 65,669 68,252 78,713 81,816 68,209

3.6 Trade mark applications, shares and number of applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the proprietor)

3.6 Trade mark applications, shares and number of applications per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the proprietor)
German Länder 2021 2022 Change from 2021 to 2022 (%)
Applications Share Applications per 100,000 inhabitants Applications Share Applications per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 19,859 24.3 111 17,716 26.0 99 -10.8
Bavaria 14,843 18.1 113 12,530 18.4 95 -15.6
Baden-Württemberg 9,991 12.2 90 8,359 12.3 75 -16.3
Hesse 6,445 7.9 102 5,273 7.7 84 -18.2
Berlin 6,010 7.3 163 5,182 7.6 141 -13.8
Lower Saxony 6,084 7.4 76 4,696 6.9 59 -22.8
Hamburg 4,189 5.1 226 3,267 4.8 176 -22.0
Rhineland-Palatinate 3,808 4.7 93 2,803 4.1 68 -26.4
Schleswig-Holstein 2,789 3.4 95 2,142 3.1 73 -23.2
Saxony 2,276 2.8 56 1,841 2.7 46 -19.1
Brandenburg 1,388 1.7 55 1,166 1.7 46 -16.0
Thuringia 1,077 1.3 51 877 1.3 42 -18.6
Saxony-Anhalt 818 1.0 38 705 1.0 32 -13.8
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 852 1.0 53 616 0.9 38 -27.7
Bremen 749 0.9 111 535 0.8 79 -28.6
Saarland 638 0.8 65 501 0.7 51 -21.5
Germany 81,816 100 98 68,209 100 82 -16.6

3.7 Classes of national trade marks applied for1

3.7 Classes of national trade marks applied for1A trade mark application can be attributed to several classes.
2 Class headings in accordance with the current version of the Nice Classification are available here.
Ranking Class Class essentially includes 2 2021 2022 Change (%)
1 35 Advertising; business management, organisation and administration; office functions 29,935 24,742 -17.3
2 41 Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities 20,429 18,281 -10.5
3 9 Electrical apparatus and instruments; computer hardware; software; optical apparatus and instruments 16,584 14,634 -11.8
4 42 Scientific and technological services 15,517 13,393 -13.7
5 25 Clothing, footwear and headgear 13,233 11,402 -13.8
6 16 Office requisites; stationery 10,621 8,992 -15.3
7 21 Household and kitchen utensils and containers; articles for cleaning purposes; tableware, dishes; glassware 8,250 6,962 -15.6
8 36 Insurance and financial services; real estate affairs 7,637 6,645 -13.0
9 44 Medical services; hygienic and beauty care; agriculture, horticulture and forestry services 7,518 6,602 -12.2
10 37 Building, construction and repair services; installation services 6,477 6,050 -6.6
11 43 Services for providing food and drink; temporary accommodation 6,950 5,612 -19.3
12 28 Games, sports articles 6,459 5,581 -13.6
13 30 Foodstuffs of plant origin; pastries, pasta and confectionery; seasonings, condiments; coffee, tea and cocoa; sugar 7,397 5,572 -24.7
14 38 Telecommunications services 6,693 5,375 -19.7
15 18 Leather products; luggage and carrying bags 5,716 5,122 -10.4
16 5 Pharmaceuticals; materials for dressings; disinfectants; dietary supplements 6,451 5,096 -21.0
17 20 Furniture and home decorations 6,021 4,976 -17.4
18 3 Cleaning preparations; cosmetics; perfumery 5,953 4,923 -17.3
19 39 Transport and travel arrangement; packaging and storage of goods 4,983 4,568 -8.3
20 32 Non-alcoholic beverages; beers 5,318 4,174 -21.5
21 40 Treatment of materials; printing services 4,245 3,973 -6.4
22 45 Legal services; security services for the physical protection of individuals 4,367 3,873 -11.3
23 33 Alcoholic beverages 4,773 3,698 -22.5
24 29 Foodstuffs of animal origin; milk products; processed fruits and vegetables 4,863 3,591 -26.2
25 11 Heating; ventilation; apparatus and installations for sanitary purposes 4,488 3,586 -20.1
26 24 Woven material and blankets; household linen 3,854 3,557 -7.7
27 7 Machines, motors and engines 3,828 3,483 -9.0
28 12 Vehicles 3,222 3,254 +1.0
29 14 Jewellery, clocks and watches 3,505 3,008 -14.2
30 6 Common metals and goods made thereof for building and construction; small items of metal hardware 2,771 2,611 -5.8
31 31 Agricultural, horticultural and forestry products; foodstuffs for animals 3,178 2,544 -19.9
32 10 Medical apparatus and instruments; orthopaedic articles 2,979 2,401 -19.4
33 1 Chemicals; fertilizers; unprocessed plastics and artificial resins 2,565 2,266 -11.7
34 8 Hand tools; cutlery 2,185 1,908 -12.7
35 19 Non-metallic building and construction materials 2,114 1,850 -12.5
36 4 Industrial oils and lubricants; fuels 1,736 1,658 -4.5
37 26 Haberdashery; decorative articles for the hair 1,641 1,481 -9.8
38 17 Insulating materials; semi-processed goods; flexible pipes, tubes and hoses, not of metal 1,246 1,280 +2.7
39 34 Tobacco, smokers’ articles 1,221 1,170 -4.2
40 2 Paints; varnishes; lacquers; printing inks 1,007 977 -3.0
41 22 Ropes; tents, tarpaulins and sails 878 945 +7.6
42 27 Floor coverings and mats; wall coverings and ceiling lining 1,122 941 -16.1
43 15 Musical instruments 503 479 -4.8
44 23 Yarns and threads 213 368 +72.8
45 13 Firearms 184 231 +25.5
Not classified 83 45
Total 260,913 223,880 -14.2

3.8 Top companies and institutions in terms of trade mark registrations in 2022 (registrations of trade marks pursuant to section 41 of the Trade Mark Act)

3.8 Top companies and institutions in terms of trade mark registrations in 2022 (registrations of trade marks pursuant to section 41 Trade Mark Act)1 Without taking into account any business intra-group affiliations.
Rank Proprietor 1 Principal place of business Registrations
1 BERLIN-CHEMIE AG DE   103
2 ApoE Consulting GmbH DE   94
3 MERCK KGaA DE   86
4 MIP METRO Group Intellectual Property GmbH & Co. KG DE   71
4 NaturaFit Diätetische Lebensmittelproduktions GmbH DE   71
6 Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH DE   59
7 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG DE 57
8 Brillux GmbH & Co. KG
 DE   42
9 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. DE 39
10 Löwen Entertainment GmbH DE   38
11 August Storck KG DE   37
12 RM Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG DE   31
12 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE   31
14 BayWa AG DE 29
15 Nordbrand Nordhausen GmbH DE   24
16 BASF SE DE   23
16 Godelmann GmbH & Co. KG DE   23
16 Rotkäppchen - Mumm Sektkellereien GmbH DE   23
19 Henkel AG & Co. KGaA DE   22
20 Bahlsen GmbH & Co. KG DE   21
20 FERRERO Deutschland GmbH DE   21
20 Rudolf GmbH DE 21
Bereich Designs

Designs

4.1 Applications and procedures concluded

4.1 Applications and procedures concluded1 Provisional for 2022, 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
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 37,651 2,494 40,145 35,860 37,130 33,213 4,210 41,340
2021 34,973 2,263 37,236 33,972 31,083 28,323 3,390 34,473
2022 32,455 1,197 33,652 31,619 36,251 34,132 3,615 39,866

4.2 Registered designs by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the proprietor)

4.2 Registered designs by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the proprietor)
German Länder 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Baden-Württemberg 6,645 6,726 5,056 4,869 5,868
Bavaria 8,521 7,950 6,139 4,853 5,227
Berlin 1,960 1,778 1,731 1,875 2,362
Brandenburg 321 297 172 150 277
Bremen 133 110 98 135 185
Hamburg 916 844 715 719 681
Hesse 1,590 1,362 1,544 1,351 1,511
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 143 92 188 134 88
Lower Saxony 2,747 2,418 2,546 1,729 2,670
North Rhine-Westphalia 13,287 10,957 10,584 9,172 10,581
Rhineland-Palatinate 1,595 1,020 1,114 930 2,089
Saarland 210 163 308 115 110
Saxony 1,825 1,298 1,268 953 903
Saxony-Anhalt 458 274 580 220 244
Schleswig-Holstein 1,725 658 892 925 788
Thuringia 388 239 278 193 548
Germany 42,464 36,186 33,213 28,323 34,132

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
2018 16,597 3,599 14,567 46,440 313,781 31 71
2019 14,708 3,386 15,034 51,458 303,468 29 48
2020 13,511 3,405 15,451 50,005 290,593 59 63
2021 16,254 3,215 16,412 51,200 270,476 19 28
2022 10,030 2,522 15,603 46,340 260,387 36 23

4.4 Registered designs, percentages and designs per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the proprietor)

4.4 Registered designs, percentages and designs per 100,000 inhabitants by German Länder (residence or principal place of business of the proprietor)
German Länder 2021 2022 Change from 2021 to 2022 (%)
Registered designs Share Registered designs per 100,000 inhabitants Registered designs Share Registered designs per 100,000 inhabitants
North Rhine-Westphalia 9,172 32.4 51 10,581 31.0 59 +15.4
Baden-Württemberg 4,869 17.2 44 5,868 17.2 53 +20.5
Bavaria 4,853 17.1 37 5,227 15.3 40 +7.7
Lower Saxony 1,729 6.1 22 2,670 7.8 33 +54.4
Berlin 1,875 6.6 51 2,362 6.9 64 +26.0
Rhineland-Palatinate 930 3.3 23 2,089 6.1 51 +124.6
Hesse 1,351 4.8 21 1,511 4.4 24 +11.8
Saxony 953 3.4 24 903 2.6 22 -5.2
Schleswig-Holstein 925 3.3 32 788 2.3 27 -14.8
Hamburg 719 2.5 39 681 2.0 37 -5.3
Thuringia 193 0.7 9 548 1.6 26 +183.9
Brandenburg 150 0.5 6 277 0.8 11 +84.7
Saxony-Anhalt 220 0.8 10 244 0.7 11 +10.9
Bremen 135 0.5 20 185 0.5 27 +37.0
Saarland 115 0.4 12 110 0.3 11 -4.3
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 134 0.5 8 88 0.3 5 -34.3
Germany 28,323 100 34 34,132 100 41 +20.5

4.5 Top companies and institutions in terms of registered designs at the DPMA in 2022 (excluding partnerships organised under the German Civil Code)

4.5 Top companies and institutions in terms of registered designs at the DPMA in 2022 (excluding partnerships organised under the German Civil Code)1 Without taking into account any business intra-group affiliations.
Rank Proprietor 1 Principal place of business Registered designs
1 Betty Barclay Group GmbH & Co. KG DE
1.365
2 EveMotion GmbH DE
932
3 SHOE CONZEPT Handels GmbH DE
   910
4 The House of Art GmbH DE
   905
5 AstorMueller AG   CH 802
6 monari GmbH DE
698
7 OLYMP Bezner KG DE
664
8 H.W. Hustadt Besitz- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbh & Co.KG DE
575
9 Tassenbrennerei GmbH DE
492
10 WOFI LEUCHTEN Wortmann & Filz GmbH DE
484
11 Brilliant AG DE
440
12 GEMINI Schuhproduktions- und Vertriebs GmbH DE
432
13 Albani Group GmbH & Co. KG DE
399
14 Goebel Porzellan GmbH DE
323
15 "Durable" Hunke & Jochheim GmbH & Co. KG DE
320
16 Alfons Venjakob GmbH & Co. KG DE
291
17 Concept S Ladenbau u. Objekt GmbH DE
252
18 Neofashion GmbH DE
   243
19 Mercedes-Benz Group AG DE
234
19 VOLKSWAGEN AG DE
234
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
2018 3 2 2 1 0
2019 4 3 4 0 0
2020 5 2 0 0 5
2021 2 2 6 1 0
2022 6 5 4 1 1

6. Patent attorneys and representatives

6. Patent attorneys and representatives1 Source: German Chamber of Patent Attorneys.
2As a rule, all professional practice companies (Berufsausübungsgesellschaften) have been required to obtain admission by the German Chamber of Patent Attorneys (section 52f (1) Patent Attorney Code) since 1 August 2022.
Year Patent attorneys  1 European and foreign patent attorneys as members of the German Chamber of Patent Attorneys (section 20 Act on the Activities of European Patent Attorneys in Germany, section 157 Patent Attorney Code) 1  Patent attorney companies1, 2
Entered in register Cancellations Registered at the end of the year
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
2022 199 93 4,205 44 184
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
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
2022 168 161 545 558 34,674
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