Musterschutz as well as Geschmacksmusterschutz and Gebrauchsmusterschutz, are terms that refer to a specific form of copyright protection.
Following the introduction of a uniform and centralised registration procedure for both trademarks (via the Reichswarenzeichenregister) and patents (via the Kaiserliche(s) Patentamt), the latter also became responsible for various non-patent registrations. These non-patent registrations required the same basic procedure as the registration of a patent.
The registrar had to file an application at the patent office, together with a well-documented reference sample ("Muster") in form of drawings or pictures. Anything the registrar produced that resembled the sample was protected, any copy by others was illegal, and proof of rights could always be provided in the form of the sample submitted to the registration office. It was threfore dubbed Musterschutz, literally legal protection based on an officially registered sample.
This form of protection was first offered for registrations based on design or appearance, the so-called Geschmacksmusterschutz introduced in 1876. Goods covered by this form of protection bear either the words Geschmacksmusterschutz, Geschmacksmuster gesetzlich geschützt or the short and simple Musterschutz.
Registrations based on application, general use or function (as long as this did not interfere with patents) were covered by what is known as Gebrauchsmusterschutz introduced in 1891. Items covered by this form were marked DRGM, Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster or Gebrauchsmusterschutz. It was left to the registrar whether or not to include the registration number as the DRGM statement itself was the legal element. This form of registration was commonly valid for three years.
Please note that in 1949 the term Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster (DRGM) and all designations referring to it were replaced by Deutsches Bundesgebrauchsmuster (DBGM), while the neutral term Gebrauchsmusterschutz remained untouched.
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