Content

Important notice of 2 June 2026

Expiry of the term of protection of registered designs: the German Patent and Trade Mark Office will give earlier notification of the expiry of the term of protection of designs and of the renewal fees

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) notifies of the expiry of the term of protection of registered designs, without such a notification being required by law or a specific form being used. The previous practice was that the notifications by the design department were sent approximately 3 months after the expiry of the term of protection, unless a design registration had been renewed by that date.

From June 2026, the DPMA will give earlier notification to holders of registered designs of the expiry of the term of protection and of the renewal fees. In the context of the EU design reform, it is intended to successively bring forward the sending of the notifications mentioned above to at least 6 months prior to the expiry of the term of protection. The change of the DPMA’s practice will be made in several steps and is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2027.

Please note that notifying of the expiry of the term of protection continues to be a service of the DPMA. It is the design holder’s obligation to communicate to the DPMA any change of address of service in a timely manner and pay the renewal fee in due time.

Last updated: 12 June 2026