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User Advisory Council starts its second term

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15 representatives of all customer groups of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office appointed for four years – DPMA President: a place to discuss the burning issues our customers have

Press release of 15 April 2021

Munich. The User Advisory Council at the DPMA (DPMAnutzerbeirat) has today started its second term in a somewhat different composition. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the advisory committee of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) held its first meeting in an online format. “Over the last two years, our User Advisory Council has proven to be a useful platform for the exchange of views and a helpful driving force,” said DPMA President Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer, adding: “We are very happy that we have been able again to recruit highly qualified members from all customer groups.”

In addition to organisational issues, the first meeting focused on the use of artificial intelligence in patent examination and on the question to what extent hearings could be held as video conferences. According to the current plans, the committee will also discuss, among other issues, patent quality, the duration of examination procedures and new duties of the DPMA concerning the provision of information about IP rights to small and medium-sized enterprises. “We want to discuss the burning issues we and our customers have,” the DPMA President emphasised. “We therefore hope that the members of our advisory committee will have as many purposeful ideas and suggestions as possible,” she added. At the beginning of 2019, the senior management of the office created the committee as a key element of customer dialogue.

The User Advisory Council consists of the following members:

  • Prof Christoph Ann (Technical University of Munich)
  • Joachim Bee (Robert Bosch GmbH) for the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI e.V.)
  • Michael Dörfler (Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research) for Bitkom e.V., Germany’s digital association
  • Dr Roland Gissler (Questel Germany)
  • Dr Bernhard Göbel (BMW Group) for the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA e.V.)
  • Helmut Jahnke (Patent and Trade Mark Centre of Baden-Württemberg) for the Association of Patent Information Centres (PIZnet e.V.)
  • Prof Andrea Klug (Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden)
  • Dr Dieter Laufhütte (Lorenz Seidler Gossel Rechtsanwälte Patentanwälte Partnerschaft mbB) for the German Chamber of Patent Attorneys
  • Doris Möller, lawyer, for the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK e.V.)
  • Dr Burkhard Schmidt for the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations (AiF "Otto von Guericke" e.V.)
  • Dr Reiner Schwarz-Kaske (Institut für Chemie-Information) for the Association for the Promotion of Private Internet Use (PING e.V.)
  • Dr Peter Stumpf (TransMIT Gesellschaft für Technologietransfer mbH) for the German Association for Knowledge and Technology Transfer (TransferAllianz e.V.)
  • Dr Ulrich Constantin Wagner (KUHNEN WACKER Patent- und Rechtsanwaltsbüro mbB) for the German Chamber of Patent Attorneys
  • Dr Bettina Wanner (Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH) for the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI e.V.)
  • Dr Stephan Wolke (thyssenkrupp Intellectual Property GmbH) for the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA e.V.)

Unlike during the first term, the term of appointment now is four rather than two years. In a recent survey, most members of the advisory committee had supported this extension of the term of appointment in order to increase the continuity and efficiency of the committee’s actions. The members emphasised in the survey that cooperation on the User Advisory Council had so far been very close and constructive. According to the survey, the customers’ representatives appreciate in particular the direct communication with the DPMA and the quick implementation of the results by qualified experts.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office

Inventiveness and creativity need effective protection. The DPMA is the German centre of expertise for all intellectual property rights – patents, utility models, trade marks and designs. As the largest national patent office in Europe and the fifth largest national patent office in the world, our office stands for the future of Germany as a country of inventors in a globalised economy. Its staff of just under 2,800 at three locations – Munich, Jena and Berlin – provide services to inventors and companies. They implement federal innovation strategies and develop the national, European and international IP systems further.

picture: iStock.com/Kateryna Bereziuk

Last updated: 15 April 2021