eingetragene

Eingetragene is the attributive form of the past participle eingetragen, derived from the verb eintragen meaning to enter or register. In German, it functions as an adjective that indicates something has been officially recorded in a public register. It is commonly found before nouns in fixed phrases such as eingetragene Marke, eingetragene Firma or eingetragene Genossenschaft.

In everyday German, the most familiar usage is in the phrase eingetragene Marke, meaning a registered trademark. Other typical contexts include eingetragene Firma (registered company name), eingetragene Genossenschaft (registered cooperative), and more generally eingetragene Gesellschaft (registered entity) or eingetragenes Unternehmen (registered business). The term signals legal recognition and protection granted by the relevant register.

Legal and administrative significance varies by domain. For trademarks, being eingetragen in the Markenregister grants exclusive rights and formal protection under trademark law. For business names and corporate forms, entries in the Handelsregister or other registers confer official status, legitimacy in dealings, and potential compliance obligations. In these contexts, the adjective helps distinguish between unregistered and recognized status.

Grammar note: eingetragene is declined like a weak attributive adjective. After a definite article, it takes the ending -e (die eingetragene Marke). After possessive or demonstrative determiners, or in plural, endings follow standard adjective declension rules (e.g., die eingetragenen Marken; das eingetragene Unternehmen). The form changes with gender, number, and case.

See also: Markenregister, Handelsregister, eingetragenes Unternehmen.