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DPMA Annual Report 2025: considerable increase in patent applications concerning battery technology

DPMA Annual Report contains statistical highlights of 2025 and useful information on patents, utility models, trade marks and designs – Innovation trends: Asian dominance in battery application rankings for the German market, Germany in fourth place with a considerable increase, rise in patent applications concerning wind power

Press release of 28 May 2026

Munich. Rankings of the companies and research institutions with most applications at the DPMA, comparisons of the German Länder concerning all IP rights and a lot of other useful information: the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) has published its Annual Report 2025. An integral part of our report is last year’s application data on patents, utility models, trade marks and designs. Furthermore, we answer important current questions about intellectual property. How can trade marks be effectively protected in the digital world? Where and to what extent can design protection and copyright overlap? How does utility model protection differ in an international comparison? The DPMA Annual Report 2025 with its multimedia content is reader-friendly and optimised for mobile use. Published in HTML format, it also contains picture galleries, infographics and videos. The English version of the annual report and a working version, which can be downloaded as a PDF, will soon be available on its start page.

DPMA President: IP protection vital to progress and prosperity

An important element of the DPMA Annual Report is, as always, the look at current innovation trends. For example, we comprehensively deal with the changes in applications concerning battery technology and renewables. Our analysis takes into account last year’s publications of patent applications with effect in Germany filed at the DPMA and the European Patent Office. Patent applications are published after 18 months. Therefore, inventions newly filed in 2025 are not included.

The innovative dynamism of battery technology continues to rise significantly. In 2025, the number of published patent applications in the relevant technical classes increased by 25.8% to 9,090 compared to the previous year. Applications filed by German companies and research institutions for the German market also saw a strong increase, but it is Asian countries that dominate the application rankings. Batteries are considered a key technology for e-mobility and for the use of renewables.
(See also our Fact sheet Analysis of renewable energies and our Fact sheet Analysis of batteries)

“The increase emphasises the enormous technological and economic importance of efficient energy storage systems. It is good that innovative activity has obviously increased in Germany, too,” DPMA President Eva Schewior says. “In our annual report, we want to show current innovation trends and point out that IP protection is of vital importance for technological progress, economic success and social prosperity.”

In the international ranking, the Republic of Korea came in first with 2,419 applications and an enormous growth rate (+33.4%) in battery technology, followed by China (1,749, +10.8%, excluding Hong Kong) and Japan (1,445, +28.2%). Germany came in fourth with 1,340 applications (+20.6%), ahead of the United States of America in fifth place with 841 applications (-2.7%).

In the ranking of applicants, the Korean companies LG Energy Solution Ltd., with 1,148 applications, and Samsung SDI Co. Ltd., with 740 applications, were in first and second places, respectively. Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited (577) and the Chinese company Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (472) came in third and fourth, respectively. The US automotive company GM Global Technology Operations LLC (301) took fifth place.

Germany in second place for solar technology and wind power

With a 1.5% increase, the number of renewables applications remained high, but it was far less dynamic than that of battery technology applications. Our analysis considers solar technology and wind power, strong technologies in terms of applications, and areas that receive significantly fewer patent applications, such as hydropower, geothermal energy and biogas technology. In 2025, wind turbines saw a significant increase of 30 applications (+5.9%).

We compiled country rankings for the two strong areas. As for solar technology, Germany lost its top position to China, which was in first place with 162 applications (+19.1%). Germany followed with 149 applications (-19%), ahead of the United States of America (73, -9.9%), France (54, -5.3%) and Japan (35, +6.1%). As for wind turbines, Denmark continued its lead with 162 applications (unchanged). In this ranking, too, Germany finished in second place (149, +24.2%). Following these two, application numbers were significantly smaller, so even slightly more or fewer applications resulted in high percentage increases or decreases, respectively. Third place went to Spain (47, -21.7%), followed by China (29, +31.8%) and the United States of America (25, +78.6%).

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 – patents, utility models, trade marks and designs. As the largest national patent office in Europe and the sixth largest national patent office in the world, our office stands for the future of Germany as a country of inventors in a globalised economy. Its staff of around 2,800 at three locations – Munich, Jena and Berlin – provide services to inventors and companies. They implement federal innovation strategies and advance the national, European and international IP systems.

Bild: gettyimages/koto_feja

Last updated: 28 May 2026