1. Formal review: After the application is submitted, the legality review of the submitted application documents, trademark drawings, power of attorney and other documents will be carried out; if the regulations are met, the application date and application number will be awarded;
2. Substantive examination: Examine whether the trademark is registrable in accordance with the law, whether it is identical or similar to a previously registered trademark, and whether it violates the prohibition provisions of the trademark law. For a trademark that fails substantive examination, the examining officer will notify the applicant in writing and inform the applicant of the reasons for rejection. The applicant may submit a reexamination within the time limit from the date of receipt of the rejection notice. Otherwise, the application will be deemed abandoned, and the application date and application number will not be retained;
3. Trademark Announcement: After the examination, the examiner considers that the trademark application is acceptable, and an announcement will be published in the German Official Trademark Gazette. The objection period is 3 months from the date of announcement;
4. Registration approval: Trademarks that are determined to be registrable after objections, or trademarks that are announced without objections will be approved for registration and a registration certificate will be issued. The entire smooth application process (if there are no rejections, objections, etc.) takes about 4-6 months.