Senior Management

President - Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer

Born in Bad Camberg/Taunus, on 10 February 1957, married

1975 Abitur (university entrance qualification) in Limburg/Lahn

1975 – 1983 studied Law, Politics and Journalism in Mainz

1981 – 1983 trainee lawyer in Wiesbaden

1984 – 1991 research fellow at Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law (now MPI for Intellectual Property and Competition Law) in Munich and at the Department of Industrial Property Law of Ludwig–Maximilians–Universität in Munich

1991 – 1996 legal officer at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Bonn, first in the section 'Patent and Designs Law', from 1994 in the section 'Trade Mark Law, Law Against Unfair Competition'

1996 – 1998 Head of Section 'Legal Issues of New Technologies in Science, Bioethics' from late 1998 – 2001 Head of Section 'Trade Mark Law, Law Against Unfair Competition' at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Bonn/Berlin

2001 Head of the Legal Division of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office in Munich

2006–2008 Head of Department 3 (Trade Marks, Utility Models, Designs) in Munich and Jena

1 January 2009 to date: President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office

Vice-President - Günther Schmitz

Born in Nuremberg, on 14 March 1953, married, two sons

1972 Abitur (university entrance qualification) in Eschenbach in der Oberpfalz

1973 – 1976 studied Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering at the universities of the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) in Hamburg and Munich
1976 Diplom–Ingenieur (degree in Engineering)

1976 – 1978 officer training at the Army Officer School in Hanover and Army Aviation School in Bückeburg and training for helicopter pilots

1978 – 1981 helicopter pilot, Oberschleißheim air base

1981 – 1984 maintenance officer and aircraft maintenance officer, Penzing air base

1984 – 1987 operations officer und deputy squadron commander, Penzing air base

1987 – 2001 member of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, patent examiner

2001 – 2004 technical judge, Federal Patent Court

2004 – 2007 Head of a patent division, German Patent and Trade Mark Office

2007 – 2010 Head of Department 1/I (Patents I)

1 September 2010 to date: Vice–President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.

© 2013 Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt | Last updated 13/05/13