German Trademark Registration

National protection in Germany

A German trade mark, registered with the DPMA, protects your sign across Germany for an initial 10 years, renewable in 10-year terms. You can protect word marks and multi-word marks — company names, product names, house brands, slogans — as well as figurative marks, pure device marks, 3-D marks, and even sound marks. It's the right choice when Germany is your market, or as a base for a later international extension.

What it costs

The DPMA's official fee is €290 and covers up to three classes; each further class costs €100. The fee isn't refunded if the mark is found unregistrable or is successfully opposed. Our flat service fee is €199 net, and we draft a goods-and-services specification tailored to your business.

How our agents handle it

Agents run an identity and similarity search across the DPMA, EUIPO and WIPO registers, flag conflicts, classify under the Nice system, and file the application electronically with the DPMA. The DPMA examines only absolute grounds under § 8 MarkenG — marks that are purely descriptive or lack distinctiveness are refused; it does not check for conflicting earlier marks, which is why the search matters. A licensed attorney at Hucke & Sanker reviews anything that needs legal judgment. The filing date, not the registration date, decides priority.

Timeline, opposition and the ® symbol

Registration usually takes about 5–6 months from filing. Once registered and published, third parties have three months to file an opposition based on an earlier confusingly similar mark. Only a registered mark may use the ® symbol; ™ comes from common-law systems (US, UK, Canada) where rights can arise from use — a concept German law doesn't share, so in Germany you generally need a registration to secure your rights.