Content

Legal representation before the DPMA

Do you want to file an application for an IP right with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA)?

The following pages provide an overview of when you can act on your own, when you need a legal representative and what you should bear in mind when you appoint a representative.

Information for applicants

• Do you have either a residence, your principal place of business or an establishment in Germany? Then, in principle, you can act and file applications in proceedings before the DPMA on your own behalf.
  You can still decide at any time to be represented by an authorised person (section 13 of the DPMA Ordinance [Verordnung über das Deutsche Patent- und Markenamt, in German].
  It may be useful – even before filing an application – to consult a patent attorney or a lawyer experienced in the field of IP protection, as complex legal and factual issues may arise.

• If you have neither a residence nor your principal place of business nor an establishment in Germany, you must empower a domestic representative for IP proceedings before the DPMA. This applies irrespective of your nationality.
  Patent attorneys and lawyers who are admitted to practise as lawyers in Germany, who are temporarily and occasionally active in Germany as European patent attorneys or lawyers providing services, or who are established lawyers in Germany are entitled to act as representatives in Germany. Under certain conditions, the representation by a Patentassessorin/Patentassessor is also possible.
  Initially, representation in Germany is not required for a trade mark application if the request can be granted without further ado, i.e. without a formal decision requiring notification or the involvement of a third party. However, you must subsequently designate a representative in Germany if issues arise during the examination of the application that require clarification (for example, formal or substantive grounds for refusal) or if a third party files an opposition to the registered trade mark. In this case, the DPMA will inform you of the subsequent need for representation in Germany.

For a list of German patent attorneys, please go to the website of the German Chamber of Patent Attorneys (published by the German Chamber of Patent Attorneys).

For a list of German lawyers, please go to the website of the German Federal Bar.

If you wish to receive further information on how to grant powers of attorney and what to bear in mind, please go to the webpage Information on granting the power of attorney.

---

Information for the legal profession

You are a lawyer, patent attorney or Patentassessorin/Patentassessor and would like to act before the DPMA?
Our webpage Information for the legal profession provides a summary of the most important topics concerning legal representation before the DPMA.

Last updated: 4 December 2025