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Visitors from the German Bundestag: Willingness to provide support was "obvious"

DPMA President seeks support for future projects of the DPMA as budgetary politicians visit the DPMA

Munich. Centre of expertise for intellectual property, service provider to industry, contact for national and international stakeholders: The German Patent and Trade Mark Office’s (DPMA) senior management gave a broad overview of the office’s tasks and services during the visit by the budgetary rapporteurs from the governing parties’ parliamentary groups responsible for the DPMA, Dr Thorsten Lieb (Free Democratic Party – FDP) and Esther Dilcher (Social Democratic Party of Germany – SPD). In addition, at the hours-long meeting, which was also attended by Philipp Hartewig (FDP), member of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Legal Affairs, DPMA President Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer sought support for important future projects of the DPMA.

"We greatly appreciate the visit and the opportunity to explain our concerns in detail and in person," the DPMA President said after the meeting, and added: "During the intense discussions, the great interest in our tasks and challenges was obvious, just as the willingness to help us as much as possible to get the necessary funds to optimise the services we provide to industry."

In addition to the three members of the Bundestag and the DPMA President, the discussions were also attended by Dr Ivo Thiemrodt, Head of Directorate General at the Federal Ministry of Justice and responsible for budgetary matters, DPMA Vice President Ulrich Deffaa and the Heads of the Directorates General Dr Maria Skottke-Klein (Patents and Utility Models as well as Information), Barbara Preißner (Trade Marks and Designs) and Katharina Mirbt (Administration and Law).

The DPMA’s senior management informed the visitors about, for example, the current developments in the IP procedures for patents, utility models, trade marks and designs, about important IT projects and the statutory duties pursuant to the new section 26a of the Patent Act (Patentgesetz) and about the strategic challenges in the years to come, in particular with regard to recruitment and IT equipment. The visit was completed by patent and trade mark examiners giving a live presentation of electronic case file processing.

Picture: DPMA

Last updated: 21 June 2022