(1) The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection regulates the following by statutory instrument not requiring the approval of the Bundesrat:
1. the establishment and course of business of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office as well as the form of the proceedings in design matters, unless provision has been made by law in respect thereof,
2. the form and the other requirements of the application and of the representation of the design,
3. the permissible dimensions of a specimen of the design attached to the application in accordance with section 11 (2) sentence 2,
4. the content and scope of a description explaining the representation which is attached to the application,
5. the classification of the classes of goods,
6. the keeping and structure of the Register, including the facts to be recorded in the Register and the details regarding publication,
7. the treatment to be given to products included with the application for the purposes of the representation of the registered design following cancellation of the registration in the Register,
8. the procedure before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for the protection of designs under the Hague Agreement,
9. the procedure before the German Patent and Trade Mark Office on the determination or declaration of invalidity of a registered design as per section 34a, and
10. the taking into account of public holidays in relation to time limits and deadlines for all the offices of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.
(2) The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection is authorised, by statutory instrument not requiring the approval of the Bundesrat, to entrust civil servants of the upper and intermediate grades as well as comparable employees with the conduct of business in proceedings in matters concerning the Register which, by their nature, do not raise any particular legal difficulties. The following, however, are excluded:
1. the refusal in accordance with section 18 and the refusal of effects of an international registration in accordance with section 69,
2. the decisions in invalidity proceedings in accordance with section 34a and
3. the rectification of the decision or forwarding of an appeal (section 23 (4) sentence 4) against a decision in proceedings under this Act.
(3) Section 23 (3) sentence 1 and 2 applies accordingly to the exclusion of and objection to a person entrusted in accordance with subsection (2) sentence 1.
(4) The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection may transfer the authorisations referred to in subsections (1) and (2) by statutory instrument not requiring the approval of the Bundesrat, in full or in part, to the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.