Register a Design with the DPMA – With an Attorney by Your Side
A false report about you or your company? To ensure your design is truly protected, the registration process is key: the right image, the right scope, and the right timing. We’ll register your design with the DPMA—thoroughly and thoughtfully.
Overview
What does “register a design” mean?
In Germany, design protection is granted through registration in the register maintained by the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA). The result is a registered design—formerly known as a “Geschmacksmuster.” So when you search for “register a Geschmacksmuster,” that’s exactly the process you’re referring to.
The good news: Filing a design application is relatively quick, straightforward, and inexpensive. The catch: Precisely because the office doesn’t review everything, the quality of your application determines how strong your protection will actually be later on. This is where it’s worth seeking legal guidance—before a mistake ends up costing you dearly. You can find a comprehensive overview of the topic on our page about design law.
Procedure
Five Steps to a Registered Design
Research & Strategy
We determine exactly what needs to be protected and review the existing body of designs. This helps ensure that your design won’t be vulnerable to challenges later on due to a lack of novelty.
Prepare for Playback
The key element: the visual representation. It determines the scope of protection. We specify whether to use photos or drawings, which views to include, and whether to use color or black-and-white—every decision expands or narrows your protection.
Product Information & Classification
We’ll classify your design into the correct product class and draft the product description, which will later help with the interpretation.
Registration with the DPMA
We file the application—as a multiple-design application, if desired, to cover several designs at once.
Registration & Monitoring
Once registered, your design is protected. If you'd like, we can keep track of deadlines and renewals for you.
The Most Important Thing
What Really Matters When Registering
It's all about the playback
Only what is clearly depicted in the application is protected. A description that is too detailed limits protection to that exact appearance; an abstract description can provide broader protection but carries the risk of inconsistency. Striking this balance is at the heart of every good design application.
A consolidated application saves you money
You can bundle multiple designs into a single collective application—which offers significant savings on fees. This is ideal for collections, product lines, or sets: Register the overall product and its individual components separately so that the reproduction of individual pieces is also covered.
The Office does not examine novelty
The DPMA only examines formal requirements and a few grounds for exclusion—not whether your design is actually new and has a distinctive character. This means that registration is almost always successful, but its validity is only truly tested in the event of a dispute. That is precisely why we advise you before you file your application.
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From Real-World Experience
The Most Common Mistakes in Design Patent Applications
A design application can be filed quickly—and invalidated just as quickly. We see these mistakes time and time again, and they can all be avoided:
Registered too late
Anyone who first reveals their design and then waits for years forfeits the novelty. There is only a twelve-month grace period for one’s own disclosures—after that, one’s own product undermines the novelty of one’s own application.
Incorrect Playback
Incomplete, contradictory, or insufficient descriptions are the most common reason for weak or even invalid protection. The description is not a mere detail; it is the subject matter of the protection.
Variations on a Single Design
Anyone who includes multiple versions of a product in a single application risks having the application declared invalid because there is no clearly identifiable single subject matter of protection. The solution is a multiple application with separate designs.
Only the whole thing is protected
If only the product as a whole is registered, the reproduction of individual parts is often not covered. For sets and series, the individual parts must also be included in the registry.
The common thread: Almost all of these mistakes occur before the application is filed—and can be avoided with the right preparation. That’s exactly where we come in. We break down your design, determine what really needs to be protected, and structure the application so that it can withstand any future challenges. After all, a registered design is only as valuable as its ability to hold up in a dispute.
Ready to register your design?
We handle the research, documentation, and filing—and ensure that your protection remains in effect. We’ll discuss your case during a no-obligation initial consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Design Registration
Registration with the DPMA is usually quick, often taking just a few weeks. Expedited registration is also available upon request. We’ll discuss the exact timeline with you.
The official fees are reasonable, and filing a multiple-design application allows you to protect several designs at a particularly low cost. In addition, there is our fee for research, reproduction, and filing. During the initial consultation, you’ll receive a clear estimate.
Both are possible—and the choice affects the scope of protection. Photos show the material and surface, while drawings abstract the pure form. We’ll choose the representation that best suits your goal.
There is a 12-month grace period for your own publications. Within that year, you can still effectively register your design. But don't wait too long.
That depends on your market. For the German market, a DPMA design registration is sufficient; if you’re planning to operate throughout Europe, an EU design registration often makes more sense. Learn more on our page about EU design registrations.
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Patrick Rehkatsch
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Juliette Sarvan de Castro
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Patrick Rehkatsch
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