DPMA
German utility model filing with the DPMA
We file your German utility model application with the DPMA on your firm’s instructions.
Included in the professional fee
- Filing the utility model application with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) and reporting on the filing.
- Handling payment of the official application fees.
- Reporting on registration and sending the utility model certificate as a PDF after registration. We retain the original certificate.
Non-registrable inventions relating to processes
Inventions relating to processes (for example, manufacture or use) are not registrable as German utility models. Such inventions can, however, be protected by a German patent, provided the requirements for patentability are met. The application must therefore contain claims directed to eligible subject matter, such as a product or device, rather than method or process claims. If your documents contain method or process claims, please contact us before instructing the filing so that any necessary changes can be agreed separately.
Additional charges
In our experience, DPMA objections to utility model applications are rare. Usually, the utility model is registered without objections and no additional professional fees are charged for the normal filing and registration procedure. The professional fee and official application fee shown above cover this usual course of events. The charges for handling a communication setting a deadline and filing a response apply only if the office raises an objection requiring such work. Optional services, such as dispatch of the original certificate, are charged only when requested. Later maintenance fees are separate from the initial registration procedure.
| Service | Charge |
|---|---|
| Handling an official communication setting a deadline | €45 per communication |
| Dispatch of the original German registration certificate, on request | €25 |
| Filing a response prepared by your firm | €85 |
The €45 fee covers forwarding the original official communication, providing a translation where required under your firm’s language preferences, and recording and monitoring the deadline. If the communication contains an office objection, the fee also includes a brief initial assessment of that objection and an estimate for further work. Detailed legal analysis and the drafting or review of a response require a separate agreement.
The €85 fixed fee covers filing a response supplied by your firm in final form, ready for submission to the office. We submit the response as supplied or copy it onto our letterhead without changing its content. The fee does not include drafting, reviewing or substantively amending the response. Any such work requires separate instructions and a separate fee agreement. The fixed fee takes precedence over hourly billing and carries no additional document fee.
All professional fees are exclusive of VAT, which is added where applicable.
Services requiring separate instructions
Drafting, reviewing or substantively amending the application documents, searches and translations require separate instructions and a separate fee agreement.
Information to have ready
Your firm’s matter reference, the name and address of each applicant, the application documents ready for filing (description, claims and any drawings), and any priority details or additional instructions.
The German utility model procedure
Your firm submits instructions
Your firm supplies the applicant details and application documents ready for filing, including the description, claims and any drawings. We confirm acceptance of the engagement before filing and communicate with your instructing firm; your client remains the applicant.
Formal review of the documents
We check that the information and documents needed for filing are complete and meet the formal requirements. Drafting or substantively reviewing the claims, searches and any necessary translations require a separate agreement.
Filing with the DPMA and payment of the application fee
Once the documents are complete, we file the application electronically with the DPMA and send your firm the filing receipt and application number. We handle payment of the official application fee. Please agree any urgent filing date with us in advance.
Examination by the office
The DPMA checks the formal requirements and whether the subject matter is eligible for utility model protection. It does not examine novelty, inventive step or industrial applicability before registration. Registration therefore does not confirm that these substantive requirements are met.
Office objections, if any
In our experience, objections are rare. If the DPMA raises an objection setting a deadline, we forward the communication and any agreed translation, record and monitor the deadline, and provide a brief initial assessment and an estimate for further work. The handling fee is €45. Filing a response supplied by your firm in final form costs €85; drafting, reviewing or substantively amending a response requires a separate agreement.
Registration and certificate
If the requirements for registration are met, the DPMA enters the utility model in the register and publishes the registration. We send your firm the registration report and the certificate as a PDF and retain the original. This completes the normal filing assignment without any further professional fee. Dispatch of the original certificate is available on request for €25.
Protection for up to ten years from filing
Protection takes effect on registration. The maximum term is ten years, calculated from the filing date. To maintain protection beyond the initial three years, official maintenance fees must be paid after three, six and eight years: currently €210 for years 4–6, €350 for years 7–8 and €530 for years 9–10. Protection cannot be extended beyond the ten-year maximum. These later fees are not included in the application fee or our filing fee. Maintenance monitoring, reminders and payment handling are provided only if separately agreed. If maintenance fees are not paid in full within the applicable payment periods, the utility model lapses.
Request a utility model filing