# Insurance for patent attorneys and patent law firms in Germany

> A renewal fee left unpaid, a missed priority deadline, an opposition filed one day late: in patent law firms the costly mistake almost always happens in the deadline diary, and it hits rights on which whole product lines depend. This page explains what the German Patent Attorneys' Act requires, why the minimum is often too low and what patent attorneys need beyond it.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-patent-attorney.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## Is the statutory 250,000 euros per claim enough?

For admission, yes; for many clients, no. If a patent protecting a key product is lost through a missed deadline, the client's loss quickly reaches millions. On top of that, the annual limit may be capped at four times the minimum. If you act for industrial clients, look at 1 to 5 million euros per claim; the extra premium is much smaller than the extra cover.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Professional indemnity for financial losses under § 45 of the Patent Attorneys' Act (PAO), at least 250,000 euros per claim; the annual limit may be capped at 1 million euros
- **Biggest risk:** Missed deadlines for filings, renewal fees, oppositions and appeals that cost a client a patent
- **Basic cover from:** around 600 euros a year for the compulsory cover of a sole patent attorney, a guide figure from our quoting experience
- **Deductible:** Under § 45 (5) PAO at most 1 percent of the minimum sum, so up to 2,500 euros
- **Often forgotten:** Advice on non-European law may be excluded from cover, for example filings in the USA or China

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Deadlines:** Priority periods, renewal fees, opposition and appeal deadlines run in parallel at several offices. One error in the diary can cost a patent for good.
- **Foreign proceedings:** Filings in the USA, China or Japan run through foreign associates. Their mistakes and advice on non-European law are not covered by every policy.
- **Weak drafting:** Claims drafted too narrowly, an incomplete description or a missed prior publication: the client often finds out years later in an infringement case.
- **Searches and opinions:** A freedom to operate opinion misses a patent, the client launches the product and gets sued.
- **Inventions in the inbox:** Unpublished inventions, drawings and lab reports are valuable to attackers. A data breach can damage both novelty and trust.
- **Fee payments:** Firms pay official fees for clients in bulk. A fake payment instruction sends the money to someone else's account.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 2, Theft 2, Cyber 4, Downtime 2, Health 1

## The insurance you need

- **Professional indemnity** (Essential): Required by § 45 PAO for as long as you are admitted; covers clients' financial losses from deadlines, filings and advice. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Pays for forensics, restoring the deadline database and files and for reporting duties after an attack, and depending on the policy fraud with fake payment instructions. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): For injury and property damage in your office or at a client's site, for example if a prototype is damaged during a visit. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces furniture and IT and pays to restore files after fire, escape of water or burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): The long training with a technical degree and years in a firm only pays off while you are able to work. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **D&O insurance** (Depends on the business): For managing directors of a patent attorney company, who are personally liable to the company. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-directors-and-officers.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For employment disputes with staff and disputes over your office premises. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php

## What it costs: example prices

The premium depends on fee income, the number of patent attorneys, the chosen sum insured and the share of foreign work. Published tariffs for patent attorneys are rare.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional indemnity | Sole patent attorney, compulsory cover of 250,000 euros per claim | around 600 to 1,500 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Sole practice with 2 million euros per claim and foreign work | around 2,000 to 4,500 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Firm with five patent attorneys, 5 million euros per claim | around 10,000 to 25,000 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Firm with ten workstations, 500,000 euros cover | around 800 to 2,000 euros a year |
| Business contents | Furniture and IT worth 60,000 euros | around 150 to 400 euros a year |

For comparison: The compulsory cover of a sole patent attorney costs about as much a year as a few billable hours.

_Guide figures from our quoting experience, excluding German insurance premium tax, as of October 2026. The source confirms the legal requirements; we work out your premium from fee income, client mix and the sum you want._

- [§ 45 Patent Attorneys' Act (PAO): professional indemnity](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/patanwo/__45.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Admission** (Sole patent attorney or employed patent attorney with own clients): Professional indemnity. Together: around 600 to 1,500 euros a year
- **Practice** (Sole practice or small partnership with staff and own offices): Professional indemnity, Cyber insurance, Business liability, Business contents. Together: around 3,000 to 7,000 euros a year
- **Industry firm** (Company with several patent attorneys, foreign work and high sums insured): Professional indemnity, Cyber insurance, Business liability, Business contents, D&O insurance, Business legal expenses. Together: around 12,000 to 35,000 euros a year

## The worst day in a patent firm

Six things that really happen in patent firms, all on one Wednesday. Step through the day and see who pays.

- 08:30: The renewal fee for a machine builder's patent was not paid in time. The patent has lapsed and a competitor copies the design. (€250,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 10:15: A US follow-up filing did not validly claim priority. The client loses the earlier filing date. (€120,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 12:00: A fake email changes a foreign associate's bank details; fees for twenty filings go to fraudsters. (€35,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 14:40: During a visit to the client's plant, a member of staff knocks a prototype off the table. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 16:20: Ransomware encrypts the server with the deadline database. Forensics, recovery and a data protection report follow. (€30,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 23:50: Water from the floor above floods the archive, printers and two workstations. (€16,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €460,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Set the sum insured by your most valuable client portfolios, not by the law; several million euros per claim are common for industrial clients.
- Check whether advice on non-European law and work before non-European offices is included; § 45 PAO allows insurers to exclude it.
- Watch the annual limit: the law allows a cap at four times the sum per claim.
- Clarify the series claims clause: several errors in one instruction may count as a single claim.
- Embezzlement by staff may be excluded; client money and fee advances need separate fidelity cover.
- Sort out run-off cover before you retire or sell the practice, because errors with patents often show up years later.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We read the exclusions:** Norman Nammert compares several insurers as an independent insurance broker and shows you where foreign law, series claims and annual limits differ.
- **Sums based on your clients:** We work out the cover with you from your largest portfolios instead of stopping at the legal minimum.
- **In English, free of charge:** We have arranged insurance since 1989. Our service costs you nothing because the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Which insurance is compulsory for patent attorneys in Germany?

Professional indemnity for financial losses under § 45 PAO. It must be in force throughout your admission, with at least 250,000 euros per claim.

### Can the insurer cap payments per year?

Yes, at four times the minimum sum, so 1 million euros for all claims in an insurance year. If you choose higher sums per claim, raise the annual limit too.

### What does professional indemnity cost for a patent attorney?

For a sole patent attorney with compulsory cover usually around 600 to 1,500 euros a year, with 2 million euros per claim more like 2,000 to 4,500 euros. These are guide figures from our quoting experience.

### Is the chamber told if my policy ends?

Yes. The insurer must inform the Chamber of Patent Attorneys without delay about the start, end or cancellation of the policy and changes that reduce cover. Switch without a gap.

### Which exclusions are allowed?

Among others, knowing breach of duty, work through offices in other countries, advice on non-European law and embezzlement by staff. Good policies include more than they must.

### How high can the deductible be?

Under § 45 (5) PAO at most 1 percent of the minimum sum, so 2,500 euros per claim.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-patent-attorney.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.