German Patents and Trademarks very popular abroad

Compared with the year 2017, foreigners were again very interested in German patent and trademark applications in the year 2018. Compared with 2017, German patent applications made from abroad increased by seven percent in 2018. The number of German trademark applications by foreign companies or individuals increased by almost six percent in the year 2018 compared with 2017. In this connection, Japan is in the first place with 8,013 patent applications, just before the United States and the Republic of Korea. China tops the list of trademark applications, followed by the United States and Great Britain.

The number of patent and trademark applications is at an extraordinary high level, just as in the two years before 2018. In this connection, the president of the German Patent and Trademark Office, Ms. Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer, states: “The stable figures at this high level show the importance of the German market, also for innovative companies from abroad. Furthermore, the continuous high demand emphasizes the great confidence in the quality of our protective rights.”

The number of granted patents of all patent applications was at 43 percent, whereas the registration quota of trademark applications was at 70.7 percent.

The federal state of Bavaria is in the first place with 14,852 patent applications, when looking at the individual federal states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Baden-Württemberg follows just behind with 14,608 patent applications and North Rhine Westphalia is in place 3.

The field of technology with the most applications is transportation. Here, the automotive industry is one of the most innovative sectors in Germany, as shown by the list of top applicants at the GPTO. Six automotive manufacturers can be found among the top 10.

The list of the most active patent applicants is headed by Robert Bosch GmbH, followed by Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG. Ford Global Technolgies, LLC is in third place. When it comes to trademarks, Daimler AG is the top applicant. Volkswagen AG is in second place, followed by Brillux GmbH & Co. KG in third place.

Circular letter of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents 2/19, pages 51-53; Press announcement of the GPTO dated Feb. 28, 2019
BBiotech (Hons) Vanessa Bockhorni
Patent Attorney