The European Patent Office carries out a specific European patent grant procedure. The basis is provided by the European Patent Convention (EPC). You can apply for a European patent in 38 contracting states of the EPC. However, the patent is not uniformly valid in all contracting states of the EPC. Following patent grant, the European […]
Read More »Patents are only valid in the country for which they have been granted (principle of territoriality). Patents granted by the DPMA have effect in the Federal Republic of Germany. You have a choice of several routes for obtaining patent protection of your invention in other countries. If you wish to obtain protection for your invention […]
Read More »Fast and low-cost protection of inventions Utility model registration provides fast and low-cost protection of technical inventions. Utility model protection is also available for chemical substances, food and pharmaceuticals, but not for processes, such as manufacturing, working or measuring processes. Whereas it frequently takes several years to obtain a patent, a utility model may be […]
Read More »Patents foster innovations Patents protect new technical inventions. They confer to their owners a territorial monopoly right for a limited period. The patent owner alone is entitled to exploit the invention. He can prohibit unauthorised commercial use of the patented invention. Patents allow to derive economic benefits from inventions. In return, the patent owner has […]
Read More »Overview of fees Type of Fee Euro Application fee for online filing (including 10 patent claims) EUR 40 – extra fee for each additional claim EUR 20 Application fee for paper filing (including 10 patent claims) EUR 60 – extra fee for each additional claim EUR 30 Fee for search request EUR 300 Examination fee […]
Read More »In the examination procedure, the patent examiners of the DPMA check if your invention meets the following criteria: novelty inventive step industrial applicability Furthermore, the invention must have a technical character. The patent is the only IP right granted by the DPMA after a very extensive examination for novelty. Preliminary examination of the application By […]
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Request for the grant of a patent Please bear in mind that the patent system is a very complex field of law. It may be advisable to retain the services of a patent attorney for preparing and filing a patent application. If you are not residing in Germany, you are legally required to be represented […]
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