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DEPATISnet

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The electronic document archive of the DPMA

Information brochures on DEPATISnet

DEPATISnet offers you the opportunity to carry out searches in the DPMA's electronic document archive online and free of charge. It includes more than 100 million patent publications from around the world. DEPATISnet is particularly suited to state-of-the-art and freedom-to-operate searches.

There are five different search types available to you:

  • Smart: You can enter publication numbers, owner and inventor names and search terms in the search field in the header area.
  • Basic: Select the Basic mode if you are a newcomer or have little searching experience. It has an easy-to-use intuitive search interface.
  • Advanced: The Advanced search allows you to search in different search fields and to combine the selected fields according to your needs.
  • Expert: The Expert mode is recommended for users experienced in patent searches. This mode allows to create more complex search queries.
  • Ikofax: The IKOFAX mode is suitable for users proficient in the fields of IKOFAX syntax and the DEPATIS database system.


The help section of DEPATISnet provides you with detailed information and explanations on the use of the various search options, the available documents and the latest database updates.

japanese and german patent specifications


English translations relating to Chinese, Japanese and Korean patent specifications and claims in tree view

Up to now, due to the characters, searching Asian publications has been a very tedious and time-consuming task. For the users of the DEPATISnet database, a long-cherished wish came true on 6 March 2023. The searchable text of Japanese, Chinese and Korean publications is now available as an English translation. In the searchable text, which can be called up in the result list, a full text search is possible. This new feature not only facilitates, but also accelerates the search and improves the search results. Translations are provided using WIPO Translate, an AI-powered machine translation tool. Please note that in terms of quality, machine translations are not equivalent to professional human translations and may contain inconsistencies or errors. No warranty is given for the accuracy and quality of the translation.

In addition, you can have the claims of German patents and utility models displayed in DEPATISnet in tree view (if published on or after 02/12/2021). The tree view is called up via the bibliographic data, where you can select the option via the action menu. The following restriction applies to the display of claims in tree view: If there are no dependencies or if there is a high number of claims, the tree cannot be displayed meaningfully.

DEPATISnet

A variety of options

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  • The service disposes of both German and English user interfaces
  • Via DEPATISnet you can also search in the International Patent Classification (IPC) and the corresponding catchword index

There are various options available for viewing the bibliographical data and documents found by your search of relevant documents in DEPATISnet.

  • Configurable result lists allow you to display not only bibliographical data available, but also the original document in PDF format.
  • You can browse through individual pages of a document or jump directly to certain parts of the document ("subdocuments").
  • The documents can be printed on a page-by-page basis or in full.
  • The result lists can be exported in various formats for further processing afterwards.
  • DEPATISnet is provided by the DPMA free of charge. Data on the latest German documents are available on the respective official publication day (generally on a Thursday).

The following support is available for your searches:

  • the database hotline for search support (Phone: +49 89 2195-3435) provides answers to your queries and gives tips on research methods
  • the Central Customer Care and Services of the DPMA (Phone: +49 89 2195-1000)
  • experts working in the DPMA search rooms in Munich and Berlin provide you with support - now also by using online-supported research via Webex.
  • over 20 regional patent information centres patent information centres throughout Germany offer detailed information on industrial property protection. The patent information centres also carry out research on your behalf for a fee
  • patent attorneys and lawyers, industrial information brokers and patent rapporteurs, too, offer search services and can be found via most common online search engines

Picture: iStock.com/MücahiddinSentürk, Bild 2: DPMA, Picture 2: iStock.com/BrianAJackson

Last updated: 12 February 2024