In the past years, the economic environment of most SMEs has become considerably more complex. Wars, climate change, the demographic trend and a rapidly advancing digitisation including artificial intelligence have an impact on the business development of companies.
The competitiveness increasingly depends on the possibility to establish intelligent strategies to use and enforce of IP rights.
Current economic studies show a positive association between the ownership of IP rights and economic performance, in particular for SMEs. Companies that own IP rights generate 68% more revenues per employee than SMEs without such rights (source: EUIPO: “Intellectual property rights and firm performance in the European Union, Firm-level analysis report, February 2021”).
As a result of the extension of the DPMA’s duties, which entered into force in 2022 (§ 26a PatG), we make increased efforts to actively inform the public, especially SMEs, about the advantages, opportunities and potential risks of the use and enforcement of IP rights.
We are glad that last year we were able to find additional staff for the unit newly established for this purpose.
Our aim is to provide our customers with tailored and application-oriented measures and instruments. To this end, we acquire profound knowledge of the target groups and a solid data basis, thus creating an appropriate methodological framework for the problem. This often makes it necessary to take new angles and find new ways in the collaboration with our partners and customers as well as colleagues.
First, in various working groups, we closely collaborate with European and international organisations that have gained reliable experience regarding these issues and target groups in order to benefit from examples of good practices. Second, we continue to develop our knowledge of the raising of awareness and the provision of information in order to plan and implement tailored services on the basis of our own data.
The strategic aim of the DPMA is to act even more as an advocate of the interests of industry in connection with intellectual property and to expand its role as the largest national IP office in Europe.
In addition to the information about patents, utility models, trade marks and designs, the DPMA is now also competent for the provision of information on copyright. Digitisation and e-commerce have considerably increased the relevance of copyright. Our new brochure “Urheberrecht — Ihr Text, Ihr Bild, Ihre Musik — Welche Rechte Sie haben, wenn Sie ein Werk schaffen” (in German) can be downloaded from our website.
For the second quarter of 2024, we plan a social media campaign, with financial support from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) under the European Cooperation Programme. Follow our social media channels for the latest news and updates!
The new issues have also produced new event concepts: At the IPAwareness and Enforcement conference with representatives of the customs and police authorities, the first platform in Germany for the discussion of trends and developments concerning product counterfeiting and trade mark piracy with investigative authorities was created.
Likewise, we have extended the cooperation with associations and institutions and have launched new training courses for new target groups. At the end of 2023, in two expert seminars held in cooperation with the EUIPO, we raised the awareness of many members of the German Tax Advisers Association about intellectual property.
Another good example of successful European cooperation is the SME Fund of the EUIPO.
The EUIPO and the European Commission launched a grant scheme of up to 47 million euros for a period of three years (2022-2024), which helps EU-based SMEs exercise and use their IP rights.
The DPMA as a contact office supports the execution of this fund scheme in Germany. By arranging what are referred to as IP pre-diagnostic services, among other things, it has enabled a number of SMEs to identify their intellectual property assets. More information is available on our website or the EUIPO website.