Invention
German companies register significantly more patents
German industry has lost market shares internationally, especially in China. But there is an indication that domestic companies intensify research in the face of strong competition.
The impressed German industry again registered significantly more inventions with the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) last year than in the previous year. A total of 40,064 domestic patent applications were received by the Munich Federal Agency, four percent more than 2023.
“It is a good sign that, despite the difficult economic situation, German companies are investing strongly in research and development and relying on the protection of their innovations,” said DPMA President Eva Schewior about the annual balance. However, the number of registrations from abroad fell by almost five percent to 19,196.
The automotive industry is still the dominant industry in the patent applications. In 2024, among the top ten most registered companies were only automobile manufacturers and suppliers. Robert Bosch GmbH was in first place with 4,496 registrations, followed by BMW (2,297) and Mercedes-Benz (2,138).
A research-strong company has been missing in the statistics of the German patent and brand office for several years: Siemens. The Munich Dax Group prefers to report its developments to the neighboring European Patent Office. Research institutes and individual inventors have only played a subordinate role in the patent applications, the development departments of the companies dominate.
By far the most registered technology field at the German Patent and Trademark Office is accordingly the transport area, which includes the automotive industry in the international classification: 11,153 registrations received 4.8 percent more than 2023 in this field.
Electronics and entertainment in the car increasingly important
According to the patent office, driving innovation areas during transport are the trend towards infotainment in the vehicle and electromobility. The international patent class B60K, which includes instruments and fittings in the car, increased by 33.4 percent. This includes, for example, displays and voice control of the instruments. According to the patent office, the number of registrations for electromobility has also been strongly increased. The technology class for drives from electric cars therefore increased by 14.4 percent.
South-north gradient remains
An abnormality of the annual statistics is a chronic south-north gradient, which has changed little over the years: Measured by the population, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria were 137 and 85 registrations each 100,000 inhabitants far ahead of the republic. In third place, Lower Saxony followed – also an important car location – with 38 patent applications per 100,000 inhabitants.
Many registrations are rejected
However, registration does not mean that the patent in question would be given automatically. In total, the office completed 45,242 test procedures last year, six percent more than 2023. However, no patent was granted in 21,298 cases. Either the examiners rejected the registration or the applicants took them back themselves. In other cases, the applicants did not pay the due fees.
The patent and trademark office is an exception in one respect: the authority regularly generates surpluses thanks to high fees. In 2024 it was almost 229 million euros, 5.5 percent more than in the previous year. The profit benefits the federal budget.
dpa
Source: Stern
