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Obituary

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office mourns the loss of one of its former presidents.
Norbert Haugg, 89, passed away last Thursday surrounded by his family.

Eva Schewior, President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office:

"We are profoundly grateful to Norbert Haugg for all he did for the German Patent and Trade Mark Office. The digitisation of work, including an extensive online presence, and the establishment of the Jena sub-office were important strategic decisions made during his term of office that still shape our work today and will also have a long-lasting impact on the future. In the name of the entire DPMA staff, my deepest sympathies go out to his wife and all his loved ones."

On the death of Norbert Haugg

DPMA President from 1995 to 2000: Norbert Haugg

From 1 August 1995 to 31 January 2000, Norbert Viktor Haugg was President of the Patent Office. Whereas almost all of his predecessors had been lawyers, he was an engineer. Norbert Haugg was born on 26 January 1935 in Lauingen. He held a degree as Diplom-Ingenieur in mechanical engineering and worked in the industrial sector before joining the Patent Office as a patent examiner in 1967. He then worked as Head of the Organisation und Planning Department and later as Head of the Directorate General "Patents". In 1983, Norbert Haugg joined the Federal Patent Court, where he was appointed Vice-President in 1991.

During his term of office, the Patent Office started its digitisation: In 1996, the Office’s first website went online. In 1999, the patent database DEPATIS was launched – with an initial 25 million documents. Every year, more than four million new documents are added, and today, around 142 million patent specifications from all over the world are available in DEPATISnet (number from January 2023).

On 1 September 1998, Norbert Haugg opened the new third office in Jena after the Independent Federalism Commission had decided the relocation of the Berlin sub-office to Thuringia in May 1992 following the German reunification. About 200 staff moved from the Berlin sub-office to Thuringia. Furthermore, there was a change in the name of the office: As of 1 November 1998, it is called "German Patent and Trade Mark Office" to emphasise the growing importance of trade marks.

Norbert Haugg lived in Gauting until he died. He loved to play tennis and golf, and his profession always remained important to him. Even after his retirement from the DPMA, he was committed to supporting inventors – especially as a member of the board of the German Institute for Inventions (Deutsches Institut für Erfindungswesen). He is survived by his wife, a son and two grandchildren.

Last updated: 31 October 2024