Regular readers of this blog are well aware that I almost never use two exclamation points in a headline. Today, however, is a day for such emphasis. Yes, the German patent office has joined the DAS system as a Depositing Office. The German patent office (having the formal name Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt) announced today that it became a DAS Depositing Office yesterday, November 25, 2024.
It is a Depositing Office with respect to three types of priority documents:
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- National patent applications
- National utility model applications
- PCT international applications
This is extremely good news. It will make a big difference for patent applicants in Germany and it will make a big difference for patent practitioners in Germany. It will likewise make a big difference for patent practitioners all around the world who handle patent applications claiming priority from applications filed in the German patent office.
Well deserved exclamation marks!
I take that back: It seems the German Patent Office found a way to take most of the utility out of DAS: Applications will not be automatically deposited. Rather, they created a new form that applicants have to file in order to place an application into DAS:
“As of 25 November 2024, applicants have a choice when applying for priority documents for patent or utility model applications: they can either apply for a priority document in paper form (subject to the payment of a fee, as before) or they can ask the DPMA to make the priority document available electronically in WIPO DAS (free of charge). The request for providing an electronic priority document and making it available in WIPO DAS has to be made via Form A 9164.” https://www.dpma.de/english/our_office/publications/notices_of_the_president/no_05_2024.html
Hooray!!!
The fax machine is dead, long live the Digital Access Library! 😉
*Digital Access Service