German Patent and Trade Mark Office

IP rights briefly explained

How do I protect my intellectual property? What types of intellectual property protection exist? What type of IP is best for me?
You will find the answers in our brief introduction to intellectual property rights available in the Services section.

Patent information centres: all-round service providers in the field of industrial property protection

The DPMA closely cooperates with twenty patent information centres all over Germany. They offer all those interested in IP comprehensive information on industrial property protection, including initial consultations for inventors, training courses and search support.

Other duties of the DPMA

The DPMA is also in charge of:

• Supervision of collective management organisations (CMOs)
• Arbitration Board under the CMO Act
• Arbitration Board under the Employee Inventions Act
• Patent attorney training
• Register of Out-Of-Commerce Works