Patents also play an important role in entrepreneurial decision-making processes. Patents show development strategies and trends and provide an incentive for further development of prior art. Patents can also be an important factor in the valuation of companies. A company`s patent portfolio is a valuable asset and reveals a company`s innovation potential. Patent protection strengthens a company`s position in the global market and is a key localization factor. A successful patent application always requires a thorough search. Only those who know the state of the art and have an overview of existing property rights can judge whether an invention is truly patentable. The DPMA register provides up-to-date information on the legal and procedural status of all IP applications as well as on the IP rights applied for and granted that grant protection in Germany now or at an earlier date. The service is also suitable for regular and systematic review of recently published property rights as part of follow-up research. DPMAkurier is an online service that you can use to monitor intellectual property rights. Then you will receive the results via automated emails. DPMAregister also offers the possibility of electronic file inspection for patent and utility model procedures.
The IPC structures all technical knowledge in a hierarchical manner. This classification is used by most patent authorities worldwide to assign documents to the respective technical field. This makes the IPC an important search tool. Using IPC symbols, you can search global databases, regardless of the language of publication. Bibliographic data and legal/procedural status data from the following publications can be found in the DPMA register: Whether you are planning an application yourself, looking for technical solutions to specific problems, need information about a particular company`s patent portfolio, do not want to infringe the property rights of third parties or have other questions, DPMA databases allow you to search for patents, utility models, trademarks and designs online for free: The non-binding declaration of interest can also be made for utility models, the fast and cost-effective alternative to patents. Utility models offer similar protection to patents, except that registration procedures are significantly shorter because inventions are not technically examined (and therefore easier to challenge). The IPC has been used to classify patents and utility models since 1975. More than 100 patent offices worldwide use the IPC for classification.
In addition, intellectual property rights can increase the motivation of a company`s employees. If a company applies for a patent for an employee`s invention, the employee is entitled to remuneration. Patents also play an important role in technology transfer. They can help find partners for further development and business cooperation, or they can be useful when a company applies for funding. Patents help offset high development costs. Successful marketing strategies enable reinvestment, which in turn is a driving force for research and development. IP searches are particularly important before filing a utility model application, as a utility model is registered in the official register without examining all the substantive requirements for an beneficial property right. However, you only benefit from a legally valid utility model if your invention meets these requirements. You are looking for patents of the co-owners “Airbus” and “German Aerospace Center” from the filing year 2005.
Patents must contain the keywords “production” or “process”. The DPMA cooperates closely with twenty patent information centres throughout Germany. They provide all those interested in IP with comprehensive information on IP protection, including initial advice to inventors, training and research support. The International Patent Classification (IPC) is used to classify the technical content of patent literature. It organizes patent and utility model specifications and allows you to search for these documents using classification symbols regardless of language. The IPC reflects all fields of technology. It contains more than 70,000 units (main groups and subgroups) into which documents are grouped. If you are the owner of a patent, you can exploit your invention and secure an exclusive position in the market. They have the means to make it difficult, if not impossible, for competitors to enter a certain market segment. And you can also sell, bequeath or license your patent. A patent owner`s license allows the licensee to exploit the patent against payment of royalties.
DEPATISnet provides access to our in-house documentary archive with patent publications on technical property rights from around the world, which are used by DPMA examiners themselves to determine the current state of the art. DEPATISnet is suitable for the following research purposes: On these pages, we have compiled general information about patent protection. If you have any questions or need further information, please consult our information brochures or, if in doubt, the Patent Act or the Patent Ordinance. In many patent and utility model proceedings, it is possible to quickly and easily inspect files online. You can also generate (and save to your computer) an up-to-date registry extract for all IP operations at any time – just press the PDF download button at the end of the line of the corresponding registry entry. Intellectual property research can save time, effort and ultimately money. They can help avoid duplication of research and development that is already included in patent literature. Regular database searches can also prevent you from infringing other intellectual property rights. Intellectual property registers are publicly accessible and searchable directories that provide information on the legal status of intellectual property rights. In pre-digital times, registers were kept in paper register volumes – in the IDZ Berlin (Informations- und Servicezentrum Berlin) you can still consult thick and heavy volumes of the patent register (unfortunately, a visit to the IDZ is currently not possible due to the coronavirus pandemic). You should thoroughly research the state of the art to reduce the risk of subsequent cancellation. The criterion for assessing the requirement of “novelty” is the state of the art.
To do this, you can use DPMA`s free DEPATISnet patent database, which contains more than 80 million patent publications from around the world. Espacenet, the database of the European Patent Office, is also available free of charge. For more information about our databases, please visit the Search page. On a legal basis, the DPMA maintains the free online register DPMAregister for patents, utility models, trademarks and designs. By logging into DEPATISnet, you can view individual entries as well as published documents such as patent and utility model specifications and published patent applications. The DPMA offers you the best search options online and directly from us to find out the current state of the art. It is useful (but not necessary) to become familiar with the classification of technical property rights in order to prepare a patent application. With well-managed and up-to-date databases, you can now perform in-depth searches quickly and easily from your computer, whenever and wherever you do it. DPMAregister allows you to find online information on the legal and procedural status of patents, utility models, trademarks, designs and respective publication dates free of charge, securely and without registration formalities. You can search for patents, utility models, trademarks and designs in DPMAregister in different modes – “Basic”, “Advanced Search” or “Expert” – see newly registered property rights via “Tracking” or consult the Patent Gazette, the Trademark Bulletin or the Design Sheet.
Novelty is a prerequisite for the patentability of an invention. In addition, it must involve an inventive step and be capable of industrial application. Still regarding these criteria, a search before submitting your application is useful. IP lookups save time, effort, and ultimately money. This way, you can avoid investing effort in inventions or developments that are already included in the patent literature. Regular database searches prevent you from infringing other intellectual property rights. You can use a search in a CA-based database to find patent or utility model documents on a specific topic, regardless of language and without having to know specific document numbers. The DPMAregister is updated daily. The legally required publications of published patent applications or patent specifications, registered utility models, trade marks or designs, as well as the publication of the Patent Gazette, the Trade Marks Bulletin and the Designs Bulletin shall take place on fixed official publication days: for patents and utility models, usually on Thursdays and for trademarks and designs on Fridays.