For a general understanding of intellectual property law and all it entails, we have compiled a list of interesting links:

Patent and trademark offices

Here is a list of homepage links for the following patent or trademark offices, where you can find out more about the relevant property rights:

• German Patent and Trademark Office
• European Patent Office
• European Union Intellectual Property Office – trademarks and design
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

You can find links to other important national and international patent and trademark offices on the German Patent and Trademark Office website.

Research

If you need to research particular property rights, we strongly advise that you consult an IP search professional. Naturally, we would be happy to carry out an IP search for you.

Should you want to conduct a preliminary search on your own, these are some of the publicly accessible databases available:

Patent Applications Databases

• Depatisnet database of the German Patent and Trademark Office
• Esp@cenet database of the European Patent Office
• International Patent Applications database of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)

Trademark Applications databases

• Trademark applications database of the German Patent and Trademark Office
• Trademark applications database of the European Union Intellectual Property Office: TMview
• Trademark applications database of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Design-/ Geschmacksmuster-Datenbanken

• Design applications database of the German Patent and Trademark Office
• Design applications database of the European Union Intellectual Property Office: DesignView
• Design applications database of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Legal Status information

The relevant databases listed above will provide you with information on the legal status of trademarks and designs. You can inquire about the legal status of German and European patent applications here:

• Patent register of the German Patent and Trademark Office
• European Patent Register of the EPO

Please note that the offices cited above do not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of data and information provided on their websites.