Groundbreaking inventions, such as the expanding dowel or the airbag, originate from imaginative inventors. Such inventions are usually the intellectual achievements of so-called “independent inventors” who are technically creative without a company in the background and apply for a patent or utility model as a private individual.
“Freelance inventors often work under difficult conditions and yet they continue to hold their own against the development departments of large companies,” says GPTO President Eva Schewior. “They are an indispensable part of our innovation ecosystem and we at the GPTO will continue to support them in the best possible way.”1
Information in passing:
Just under a quarter of the approximately 2,000 patent applications from last year were filed by independent inventors from Bavaria (448). This is followed in the ranking by North Rhine-Westphalia (360) and Baden-Wuerttemberg (308).2
1German Patent and Trademark Office and KRS 06/23, p. 217
2Chamber Circular (KRS) 06/23, p. 217
February 9, 2024
Vanessa Bockhorni
Patent Attorney