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Cooperation

Good cooperation - at national, European and international level

The world of intellectual property is complex and highly interconnected. As the largest national patent and trade mark office in Europe, we are responsible for our applicants and the German innovation landscape – especially in the European single market. For this reason, cooperation with intellectual property offices of other countries and regions, the European Patent Office (EPO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is mentioned as a statutory mandate of the DPMA in the Patent Act (Patentgesetz) (section 26a of the Patent Act). The DPMA fulfils this obligation by being represented in various working groups and technical committees of international and European organisations. In these groups, our office, in coordination with user associations, is strongly committed to the German concerns and to an efficient international IP protection system.

Promotion of IP at the national level

At the national level, close cooperation with patent attorneys, represented by the Chamber of Patent Attorneys and the Federal Patent Court, is of fundamental importance for the work of the DPMA. Regional patent information centres inform and support small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly the start-up scene, and raise their awareness of industrial property protection. The central information services of the DPMA on the Internet are supplemented by expert advice and information services at the regional level. The DPMA closely works together with these institutions and supports their activities by lectures, training measures, trade fair participation and seminars. At the regional level, the patent information centres cooperate with chambers of commerce and industry, the chambers of crafts and trades as well as other institutions. It is in close contact with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, which supports the use of the patent system by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the transfer of inventions from the university sector through its WIPANO programme. Together with the Zentralstelle Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz (Central Office for the Protection of Industrial Property (ZGR) of German Customs), the DPMA attends important fairs in order to provide information on product piracy and trade mark counterfeiting.

Also present: interest groups

Furthermore, the DPMA participates in various user panels in order to further develop and adapt its business processes to meet user needs. These interest groups include the Vereinigung von Fachleuten des Gewerblichen Rechtsschutzes (VPP), the Patentinformationsnutzergruppe (PING), the "Arbeitsgruppe Markenanmeldung und -dokumentation (ARMAD)" and the Patent Documentation Group (PDG).

Concerted action at the European level

At the European level, the DPMA has strong relations with the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, hosted by the EUIPO. Together with the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, the DPMA represents the interests of Germany as a member state in the bodies of the European Patent Organisation and the Management Board of the EUIPO. In addition, the DPMA cooperates with the EPO and the EUIPO at various working levels.

International networks

At the international level, the DPMA is a member of many committees of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), based in Geneva, and maintains partnership relations with other IP offices around the world.

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Last updated: 15 May 2025