The DPMA is the largest national patent and trademark office in Europe and the fifth largest patent office worldwide. As the upper federal authority, we belong to the division of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection. Our head office is in Munich. We are a partner in a network of national, European and international property rights systems.

Founded as the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin in 1877, the DPMA can look back on over 140 years of history. Today we are a modern service provider that offers effective protection options for technical inventions, brands and product designs. Small and medium-sized companies, large corporations, research institutions and inventors can use these instruments to defend their intellectual property against unwanted imitation.

Information about existing property rights is also becoming increasingly important today and is itself becoming an innovation factor because this knowledge can influence business decisions. We provide comprehensive information on property rights on this portal and offer options for online research.

We are already processing property rights proceedings largely in fully electronic form and are driving forward the further expansion of electronic communication with our customers.