125-year history of the Austrian Patent Office

In 2024, the Austrian Patent Office celebrated its 125th birthday. So, it was originally established in 1899. Historically, 1899 was also the year when a new chapter in world history began. Although China was still struggling with whether to keep the emperor or abandon the emperor, the world was accelerating its pace of progress.

Before the Austrian Patent Office was founded in 1899, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor used to grant inventors so-called “privileges”, such as the folding bicycle invented by inventor and bicycle maker Johann Puch in 1896. The original patent for this invention is still preserved today in the Austrian Patent Office History Museum and can be accessed online at https://privilegien.patentamt.at/index/ .

On January 2, 1899, the Austrian Patent Office was established. For the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was about to end its rule in 1918, 1899 was the last time for the empire. The imperial newspaper Neue Freie Presse announced the establishment of the patent office, but was puzzled by the low-key "no ceremony" of the Imperial Patent Office. Baron von Dipauli, the then Minister of Commerce, was suffering from influenza and could not arrive on time.

In 1908, the Austro-Hungarian Empire joined the Paris Convention on Industrial Property and the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks. In the same year, the two registered word and image trademarks "Fritze Lacke" and "Sidol" also became the first trademarks registered in Austria.

In 1938, as expected, Austria fell under Nazi rule, and the Austrian Patent Office became a branch of the German Patent Office. The Patent Office was taken over by the Nazis, nine civil servants lost their jobs at the same time, and three substantive examiners were brutally murdered.

In 1945, after the end of World War II, the Austrian Patent Office moved to Vienna and officially reopened on August 13, 1945. Former Nazi Party members were no longer allowed to be examiners of the Patent Office. After the war in 1950, more technological innovations brought miracles to the European economic recovery, such as VOEST's "Linz-Donawitz process", which completely changed the steel industry; the Austrian Patent No. 168589 in the picture below is a machine used to stamp the application date on patent applications.

In 1979, Austria joined the European Convention Organization and the PCT Organization. In 2003, the Austrian Patent Office moved to a new site. In 2011, the Austrian Patent Office officially entered the digital age. The first electronic application was MIBA Sinter Austria GmbH's "Toothed wheel for a play-free spur gear set". In 2015, Mariana Karepova became the first female director of the Austrian Patent Office. During her tenure, the Austrian Patent Office became a modern service provider, and patent business realized electronic applications. In 2023, the beautiful director was transferred to the EPO.

In 2016, the Austrian National Patent Award was officially launched. Since then, there will be a National Patent Award ceremony every two years. In 2019, all intellectual property business of the Austrian Patent Office, including patent, trademark and design patent applications, have been realized through electronic applications.