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For start-ups, entrepreneurs and SMEs: German Patent and Trade Mark Office sets off on a roadshow to promote intellectual property rights

DPMA Vice-President: The benefits of industrial property rights for individual businesses and the national economy – “The roadshow is also a sign of a new beginning.” – Touring all federal states for the first time in collaboration with partners – The new event format on patents, trade marks, utility models and designs kicks off on 27 August in Berlin

Press release dated 20 August 2026

Berlin/Munich. “Your idea. Your protection. Your business.” Under this motto, knowledge on protecting innovation is being brought directly to start-ups, founders and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across all regions of Germany. The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) is bringing basic information and practical knowledge on intellectual property rights directly to businesses. The roadshow is co-organised by the patent information centres in the federal states, the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with the regional chambers of commerce and industry, and the Association of Intellectual Property Professionals (VPP). The tour, which focuses on practical knowledge of patents, trade marks, utility models and designs, begins on 27 August in Berlin and will visit eight German cities this summer. Next year, the event series will continue in southern Germany.

“The roadshow also signals a new beginning. Groundbreaking ideas and clever innovations that drive our country forward are to be found particularly in many small businesses. Intellectual property rights are crucial in enabling businesses to realise the full economic potential of their innovations and achieve long-term success. We are touring the whole of Germany on this roadshow to share knowledge about patents, trade marks, utility models and designs together with our partners. A strategy for intellectual property rights is particularly useful and important for small and medium-sized enterprises if they are to remain competitive,” says the Vice-President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, Dr Maria Skottke-Klein. “A particular priority for us with this event format is to also involve companies that already have experience with intellectual property rights.”

Companies can therefore learn directly from one another during the events. Panel discussions featuring companies that already operate with industrial property rights, such as patents and trade marks, form the centrepiece of the events. The roadshow is a networking opportunity that can have a lasting impact in many ways beyond the day of the event. Studies show that SMEs that seek legal protection for their innovations generate higher turnover and are more successful. At present, however, only ten per cent of SMEs in Europe make use of intellectual property rights. There is therefore considerable potential for Germany’s competitiveness, prosperity and autonomy in key technology sectors. This is all the more true given that surveys show that technology-driven start-ups in particular can benefit significantly from intellectual property rights. Furthermore, when it comes to key technologies – such as those in the digital sector or quantum technology – innovations very often originate from small or medium-sized enterprises, as statistics from the DPMA show.

"Your idea. Your protection. Your business." The 2026 Innovation Roadshow is coming to:

  • Berlin on Thursday 27 August
  • Rostock on Tuesday 1 September
  • Kiel on Wednesday 2 September
  • Hamburg on Thursday 3 September
  • Bremen on Monday 7 September
  • Hanover on Tuesday 8 September
  • Dortmund on Wednesday 9 September
  • Aachen on Thursday 10 September



What our partners say:

“The Innovation Roadshow sends a strong signal regarding innovative strength and competitiveness. Industrial property rights are a key lever, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, for protecting innovations and winning over investors.”
Peter Adrian, President of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry

“Start-ups and SMEs often face the challenge of making the right decisions to protect their innovations whilst working with limited resources. The Roadshow provides practical guidance on when patents, trade marks or designs are the appropriate tools and how intellectual property can be meaningfully integrated into corporate strategy. For young companies in particular, a single intellectual property right can have a significant impact if the quality, timing and strategic integration are right.”
Peter Berg, President of the VPP (Association of Intellectual Property Professionals)

“The Innovation Roadshow brings home the tangible economic value that a well-utilised intellectual property right can generate for a business – in negotiations, when securing funding, and in the face of competition. For me, these events mark the start of a working relationship. Whether founders, start-ups or traditional SMEs: the door to the Patent Information Centre or the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in the region is open to everyone in the weeks that follow.”
Arne Krüger, Chairman of the Association of German Patent Information Centres (piznet e.V.)



What companies say about working with intellectual property rights:

“In my view, the subject of intellectual property rights, patents and licences is still not taught extensively enough in higher education. Yet this is precisely what is crucial for successful entrepreneurship and technology transfer. There is a significant knowledge gap here, which I regularly notice in my work with university spin-offs. Roadshow events can be a first step towards raising awareness of the subject of intellectual property rights.”
Dr Lennart Weiß, Managing Director of Kwintely Intelligence GmbH, Braunschweig

“Innovations arise from good ideas. They become successful when technology, market understanding and, above all, a strategic approach to intellectual property rights come together. Our IP team provides guidance in this regard: it supplies the information that companies need to develop innovations in a targeted manner, protect them effectively and position them successfully on the market.”
Dr Saskia Wolf, Team Lead for IP Analytics, Löwenstein Medical Technology GmbH + Co. KG, Hamburg

You can find all the information about the roadshow’s dates and programme here. Attendance at the events is free of charge.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office

Inventiveness and creativity need effective protection. The DPMA is the German centre of expertise for all intellectual property rights - for patents, utility models, trade marks and registered designs. As the largest national patent office in Europe and the sixth largest national patent office in the world, it is committed to Germany’s future as a country of inventors in a globalised economy. Its almost 2,800 staff based at three locations - Munich, Jena and Berlin - are service providers for inventors and companies. They implement the innovation strategies of the Federal administration and develop national, European and international IP systems further.

Picture: Gettyimages/Lidia Shapoval und Gettyimages/ AKO und DPMA

Last updated: 20 August 2026