1877–1913: “Grand Ducal Centre for Industry”

1877 saw the start of a uniform German patent system and the founding of the “Imperial Patent Office” in Berlin. Grand Duke Ludwig IV brought the first patents to Darmstadt. At that time the collection was housed in Neckarstraße 3.

1914–1922: Model collection in the industrial library

At the same location, albeit under a new institute name. There was a further name change one year later.

1923–1930: Hessisches Gewerbemuseum Darmstadt

The Industrial Museum was closed on the orders of the Landtag – the state parliament – of Hesse. The collection of patent specifications and the entire museum library were moved to the Hessian State Library in the castle.

1931–1990: Patent Repository (PAS)

The collection was relocated within the castle, ending up on the ground floor of the north-west wing in 1942. On the so-called “Night of Fire” of 11 September 1944, the majority of the documents remained intact. Why? Because the soldiers tasked with putting out the fire were particularly keen to preserve the wine cellar located below.

The Imperial Patent Office in Berlin had to cease operations following the Second World War. In 1948 a receiving centre for utility model and patent applications was set up in the PAS Darmstadt for the “unified economic territory” (British and American sector). There was a second office in Berlin. During this time decisions were being made as to where the new German Patent Office should be located – Darmstadt or Munich. In October 1949 the German Patent Office in Munich opened its doors and Darmstadt lost its status as a receiving centre.

As from 1968 onwards so-called “Offenlegungsschriften” – first publications of the patent application – were published, it was decided to shift from publication of IP rights on paper to using microfilm aperture cards as a storage medium. By the end of the 1980s, however, storage capacity in the castle was exhausted. Furthermore, a project sponsored by the BMWI meant that new services and employees were also being accommodated. It was time for the next relocation. Space totalling 920 sq m became available thanks to the conversion of the former Burda office building in Schöfferstraße.

1991–2019: Patent Information Centre, Darmstadt

Re-location in September 1989 offered the opportunity to expand services by changing from a “passive” repository to an “active” information centre. It was re-named in the process: in 1991 the patent document and standards repository became the Patent Information Centre, Darmstadt. Other patent repositories changed their name to Patent Information Centres – PIZ for short.

Technical changes on the information market meant that demands placed on patent information centres were steadily increasing. A modern PIZ had to react flexibly and rapidly to ongoing innovations. Growing use of the Internet went hand in hand with changes in the publishing policies of patent and trade mark offices and customers’ need for information.

The PIZ Darmstadt moved to Holzhofallee 38 in March 2013. Storage of IP rights on paper and microfilm aperture cards was discontinued which meant less floor space was required than in previous years. Requests for individual consultations had risen, however, so the new premises were better suited to meeting customer requirements.

Since 2019: Patent and Trademark Centre Rhine-Main

In the spring of 2019 there was a renewed change of name to stress the importance of trade marks and the geographical positioning of the Patent and Trademark Centre in the Rhine-Main region.

2020: Re-location to Mornewegstraße

The Patent and Trademark Centre Rhine-Main moved into new premises in Mornewegstraße.