A news item published on the website of the DPMA, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, this week, gives some indirect but revealing insight into the Office's daily work and/or the standard of the applications the Office appears to be receiving:

On its website the DPMA informed its users that "with good reason" the Office would like to point out that oppositions against an international trade mark registration designating the European Community (but not Germany) have to be filed directly at the OHIM in Alicante.

Oppositions that have mistakenly been filed at the DPMA will be sent back to the opponent or their legal representative. In a worst case scenario, if an opposition is only filed on the last day of the opposition period, this could mean missing the deadline since a timely receipt of the opposition at the OHIM is no longer guaranteed. Has the opposition fee already been paid to the DPMA, the fee will be retransfered, the Office will retain an (administrative) fee of 10 Euro (Fee 301 500: Refund of sums that have been paid without a legal reason).

Click here for the news item in its entirety (in German)