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"IP Awareness and Enforcement 2025" in Munich

Stong network for intellectual property

For the third time, the DPMA brings together investigative and law enforcement authorities to exchange information – DPMA Vice-President: Protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights are two sides of the same coin

At the ‘IP Awareness and Enforcement’ network meeting in Munich, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) brought together key players in the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Investigative and law enforcement authorities such as Europol, public prosecutors, state criminal investigation offices and police forces, as well as market surveillance authorities, exchanged views on various current issues and challenges in the enforcement of intellectual property rights – in relation to product and trademark piracy, but also illegal streaming of TV programmes. With this network meeting, the DPMA brings together relevant stakeholders, moderates the exchange and thus creates a new platform for coordinated action that is unique in Germany. The event took place for the third time on November 13, 2025.

The DPMA is responsible for examining and registering industrial property rights such as patents, utility models, trade marks and designs. However, enforcement is the responsibility of the criminal investigation authorities. Both are essential to ensure that intellectual property is effectively protected against unauthorised imitation. ‘For us, the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights are two sides of the same coin,’ said DPMA Vice-President Maria Skottke-Klein. If the rights of trademark, design or patent owners are infringed on a massive scale every day on e-commerce platforms, but those rights cannot be enforced, then trust in the legal system will be lost. Improved cooperation between authorities is a decisive factor for enforcement.

Product and brand piracy and the illegal use of streaming services cause billions in damage every year in Germany and cost tens of thousands of jobs. In addition, counterfeit products pose health risks to consumers – for example, through toxic children's toys, counterfeit food or contaminated cosmetic products.

Picture: DPMA

Last updated: 13 February 2026