Insight Our Strategy
In 2024, we once more successfully completed a number of strategic measures.
The DPMA now participates in “WIPO DAS” (Digital Access Service), which means that applicants requesting priority documents concerning patent or utility model applications can now instruct the DPMA free of charge to deposit the priority document electronically in “WIPO DAS”.
You can find a detailed article concerning this new service in the chapter “Patents”.
Digitisation is a key element of our strategy and our top priority when it comes to our services but also to our internal processing of files. In our IP fields patents, utility models and trade marks we have already successfully introduced entirely electronic file processing. In addition to this important step, thanks to our project „Electronic administrative work”, we are now able to process our administrative files in a paperless way, too. We have also made progress with our project concerning the introduction of the electronic IP case file for designs.
When it comes to “Sustainability at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office”, which is one of the DPMA’s key topics, our work has gained further impetus in 2024. Concerning the “Programme of Measures for Sustainability” for federal authorities, we have implemented further initiatives. We are thus getting closer to achieving the objectives set for many of ours fields of activity. Sustainability is of great importance at the DPMA. We want to make a contribution to protecting our nature and environment, utilising resources economically and achieving the goals for a sustainable development.
Another focus of this year’s strategy conference of the senior management was the development of our IT systems. How can we advance the existing comprehensive IT landscape of the DPMA in the best possible way? Which possibilities do the federal IT services provide? What are the needs of our users? For many years now, we have been performing our core tasks fully electronically and without media discontinuity. This requires intensive planning, support and the constant modernisation of IT systems.
In view of this, we debated how to bundle innovative ideas and approaches in the DPMA’s IT area. We plan to implement an “IT Innovation Lab” so we can efficiently focus on setting up and promoting the central IT topics of the future. The results achieved by this measure are to help us refine our systems and the range of digital services we offer. The support of our procedures by a continued use of artificial intelligence (AI) will also be a topic in this context.
Our Project Survey service
Your opinion matters!
Your opinion is important to us. This is why we introduced an inhouse survey service in 2024. After some preparation, we implemented two surveys at one time. Your feedback will have a significant influence on key decisions in our office.
The DPMA acts as a competent and experienced partner and service provider of its customers in the field of IP. Our decisions often have great financial significance for our customers and directly affect them. We therefore make decisions on the basis of solid data. As we strive to understand our customers’ needs even better, we have created a point of contact with our survey service which conducts surveys of any kind and provides professional assistance. The direct feedback of the users is taken into account for our decisions and our quality management.
What does the survey service do?
The chief purpose of the survey service is to better get to know all stakeholders, that is the groups of people who are in contact with the DPMA, and to make this information public all across the office. Of course, the focus is on the users in this context.
Moreover, we deal with topics such as the classic event feedback, inhouse staff surveys or the evaluation of new processes and applications. In addition, with external support, we conduct nationwide representative surveys, for example about IP knowledge and about the wider public’s awareness regarding the DPMA.
First surveys conducted
At the end of 2024, besides other smaller surveys, we published the first large user survey. It has provided crucial insights for the decision-making process in the office: more concretely, we have asked the users to inform the DPMA about their preferences and proposals concerning specific aspects of the application portals, as these are to be technically re-structured. The feedback of over 600 participants has given us a clear picture of their needs.
By the end of 2023, we had a market research institute conduct a representative nationwide awareness analysis for the first time. This way, we were able to collect valuable information on the knowledge about IP and IP rights among the wider public but also among different user groups. For the first time, the public’s awareness regarding the DPMA and its services was also surveyed. We can deduce concrete and tailored measures from the data collected, especially for the communication and information services of the DPMA. The results of the survey as well as further relevant information can be found in our article on the awareness analysis.
What happens to the results?
The DPMA publishes the results of the various analyses via the office’s internal communication channels. They are distributed to all relevant parties, analysed and taken into consideration for decision-making. If the results are considered to be of potential interest to the public, we of course also publish them on different communication channels, such as on our website and our social media channels.
Outlook
For the current year, other interesting surveys are already on the agenda. We will publish yet another large survey on the quality of the first office actions and on conducting hearings in the field of patents. Moreover, the survey among the readers of the gazette Blatt für Patent-, Muster- und Zeichenwesen (BlPMZ), a regular publication issued by the DPMA on amendments concerning the legal IP system, will provide the basis for the decision on its relaunch.
As you can see, your opinion counts! Take part in our surveys and make a crucial contribution to the development and improvement of our services.
Our latest surveys can be found on our webpages.