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Applications for patents and trade marks continue to rise in 2016

Press release of 25 October 2016

Nuremberg/Munich. The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) expects a strong rise in new applications for patents and trade marks for the current year. The preliminary projections for 2016, which were made public on occasion of the opening of the international trade fair iENA (Ideas - Inventions - New Products) in Nuremberg, justify this favourable prognosis.

The patent and trade mark applications filed with the DPMA in the first seven months of the current year surpass the application figures of the same period in the preceding year. The record numbers of 66,897 patent applications and 68,950 trade mark applications reached in 2015 could be surpassed in 2016 according to the projections. For new patent applications, the DPMA has seen a constant increase since 2010. There is a significant rise in the number of non-resident applications for German patents received by the DPMA in the current year. Trade mark applications are also still on the upward trend. While the demand for national trade marks by non-resident applicants is expected to be at a similar level as in the year before according to the preliminary projections, the number of applications by German residents has considerably increased.

"Our application figures have remained at a constantly high level for years. For us, this proves the high degree of confidence German IP rights enjoy worldwide," says Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer, President of the DPMA, and adds: "Innovation needs protection. Our statistics show us that the good work of the DPMA patent examiners is very popular also with our non-resident customers."

DPMA at the iENA 2016 trade fair: tailor-made services for SMEs and individual inventors

As in the previous years, the DPMA specifically targets small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as individual inventors with its services. "We know from conversations at trade fairs that particularly this type of customers has a high demand for information, which we would like to meet at iENA," says Rudloff-Schäffer. Due to the positive reception, free-of-charge initial consultations for inventors will again be offered by patent attorneys at the DPMA stand at this year's inventor trade fair iENA. Experts from the DPMA and its cooperation partners will be available to the trade fair visitors for questions on all types of IP rights.

With its information stands, the DPMA is present at the most important trade fairs all over Germany. Comprehensive information about industrial property rights is available at www.dpma.de/english/ where you can also freely access the electronic databases.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office

The DPMA is the federal centre of expertise in the field of IP protection in Germany. With a staff of over 2,500, it is the largest national IP office in Europe and the fifth largest national patent office in the world. The staff based at locations in Munich, Jena and Berlin grant patents, register trade marks, utility models and designs, and manage these IP rights. In addition, they provide information on IP rights to the public. For more information on the DPMA, please go to https://www.dpma.de.

Last updated: 5 November 2024