If you ask yourself how to get a trademark registration in Germany or how to get a registered trade mark or a trademark application in Germany, please read the below information or get in contact with us:

What is the responsible office for a trademark registration in Germany?

Applications for German trademarks have to be submitted to the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) in Munich. The GPTO is not only responsible for checking the trademark application for missing information or absolute grounds of refusal (and makes provisional refusals in this matter) and for decisions in trademark opposition cases in Germany but also for issuing the registration certificate.

How much is a German trademark application and what are the costs of a trademark?

The costs of a German trademark application primarily depend on the extent of the application defining the scope of protection, which means the number of classes of goods and services. In Germany there is a mulit-class system for trademark applications which means that a single application covers up to three classes for the basic official fees of 300 € (or 290 € for an electronic application).

If you need our assistance as a trademark lawyer or patent attorney for handling an application or trademark registration in Germany, we will charge an affordable flat fee for this service including the correspondence with the trademark office and the client, depending on the expected work and the existing basis. Just contact us to get our offer.

What is the procedure and how long does a trademark registration take in Germany?

If you inform our IP Law Firm about the trademark to be registered and provide us with the necessary information (e.g. kind of trademark like wordmark, word and device mark or device mark, name and address of the applicant, list of goods and services in English or German) we will perform a general trademark search for potentially conflicting wordmarks in the German trademark register. After that we summarize the result and the intended application (after coordinating e.g. the list of goods and services with you).

Once this summary is confirmed by you we will file the application. After the trademark application at the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) in Munich and after the payment of the official fees, an examiner checks the application for absolute grounds for refusal (like descriptiveness).

If there is no complaint e.g. a provisional refusal, the GPTO registers the trademark in the German trademark register, issues a trademark certificate and sends it to the applicant or his representative. The timeframe from the application to the registration of a trademark in Germany in a smooth case is normally between four weeks and two or more months.

Following the publication, third parties have the opportunity to file an opposition against this new trademark registration based on their earlier rights within three months after the publication date.

What is the protection period of a German trademark registration?

If a trademark registration in Germany is successful and the trademark is registered and not attacked by a third party (e.g. through an opposition proceeding) or deleted by the owner, the trademark is valid for ten years after the application without further costs. German trademarks can be renewed for a period of ten years each for an indefinite period of time.

Our services to get a trademark registration in Germany:

• Trademark search in Germany (e.g. basic search for identical wordmarks and/or detailed research in the German trademark register)
• Assistance and consulting to find best kind of trademark (e.g. wordmark, word and device mark, device mark etc.) to increase the scope of protection and to prevent potential refusals
• Development of list of goods and services (based on Nice classification) to fit the client’s needs
• Filing service
• Claiming priority of trademarks
• Correspondence with German Patent and Trademark Office
• Opposition proceedings
• and similar matters

Our specialized Intellectual Property (IP) Law Firm with a German Certified Intellectual Property (IP) Lawyer and a European Patent, Trademark and Design Attorney offers a full range of services in regard to intellectual property law, like trademark law, in Germany and Europe. This not only includes trademark registrations but also the assistance in (alleged) trademark infringements or trademark violations.

Feel free to contact us via email to get a tailormade offer for your needs or if you need further information.