German bluechips rarely assign dedicated board seat to IP
In an exclusive survey of German DAX-listed companies, Sonja Behrens, journalist at our partner publication JUVE Rechtsmarkt, analyses how Germany's largest corporations handle responsibility for intellectual property. Although IP rights often determine corporate success, responsibility for intellectual property rarely gets its own seat on the board.
10 March 2025 by Christina Schulze
According to Maria Skottke-Klein, vice president of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, “Companies with IP rights generate 68% higher revenue per employee and pay on average 19% higher salaries.” Yet in the boardrooms of German DAX companies, IP rights are just one topic among many. Those responsible for IP typically juggle numerous other responsibilities.
In addition to corporate strategy and business development, CEOs in particular must handle multiple other areas.
For example, Porsche AG — which joined the DAX around two months after its stock market debut in December 2022 — has split its IP management. Brand issues, designs and copyright fall under the remit of CEO Oliver Blume, while patents and patent licences sit with board member Michael Steiner, who is in charge of research and development.
Varied priorities across industries
Steiner is, so to speak, one of two CTOs at DAX-listed companies responsible for IP issues. The other is Peter Körte at Siemens. The latter has served as chief technology officer and chief strategy officer of the Munich-based company since 2020. He joined the executive board in October 2024 as part of a board expansion.
BASF, Bayer and Beiersdorf have placed IP management under their CFOs rather than CEOs. Healthcare companies in Germany’s premium stock market segment take a different approach. At Sartorius, for example, responsibility lies with two divisional board members: Alexandra Gatzemeyer (lab products & services division) and René Fáber (bioprocess solutions division). At Qiagen, Jean-Pascal Viola oversees IP issues as head of the molecular diagnostics division while also managing corporate business development.
In the energy sector, Eon and RWE have assigned both legal and IP management to their CEOs. Siemens Energy, however, has chosen a different solution: IP management falls under its global functions board, which also oversees IT, innovation and purchasing.
Investing in IP pays off
The expansion or re-evaluation of existing IP rights rarely features in German DAX companies’ annual reports. However, numerous large companies regularly invest in German start-ups through corporate venture capital. University spin-offs in particular are said to maintain high standards in managing IP rights.
According to 2023 studies by the EUIPO and EPO, start-ups with patent and trademark applications are significantly more successful in financing rounds and sales processes than young companies that have not invested time or legal resources in this. (Guest author: Sonja Behrens)
