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Important notice of 2 March 2026

Entry into force of the Ordinance Amending Electronic Legal Transactions with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office

On 1 March 2026, the Ordinance Amending Electronic Legal Transactions with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (Verordnung zur Neuregelung des elektronischen Rechtsverkehrs beim Deutschen Patent- und Markenamt) of XX February 2026 entered into force.

The amended version replaces the previous Ordinance on Electronic Legal Transactions with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (Verordnung über den elektronischen Rechtsverkehr beim Deutschen Patent- und Markenamt) and provides the necessary legal basis for the modernisation of the digital communication channels of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA).

In accordance with the Ordinance on Electronic Legal Transactions with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office in its amended version, the DPMA can simplify the service of electronic documents and make it more customer-friendly, especially on the basis of section 5, which, as from 1 March 2026, provides the option of serving electronic documents by making them available for retrieval and eliminates the requirement that receipt must be acknowledged by qualified electronic signature.

On the basis of the Ordinance on Electronic Legal Transactions with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office in its amended version, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office will continue to gradually modernise its digital communication channels for the customers.

The ordinance has been published in the Federal Law Gazette (BGBl. 2026 I no. 50). The explanatory memorandum of the ordinance will be published in the Federal Gazette.

Last updated: 3 March 2026