(1) The German Patent and Trade Mark Office is obliged to provide opinions at the request of the courts or of the public prosecution offices with regard to questions relating to patents if divergent opinions have been submitted in proceedings by more than one expert.
(2) In all other cases, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office is not entitled to take decisions or to provide opinions outside of its statutory scope of activities without the permission of the Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection.
(3) For the purpose of making available documentation of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection is authorised to determine, by statutory instrument not requiring the approval of the Bundesrat, that the German Patent and Trade Mark Office provide information on the state of the art without there being any guarantee that such information is complete. It may, in particular, determine the requirements for, the manner and extent of the provision of information, as well as the technical fields in which information may be provided. The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection may, by statutory instrument not requiring the approval of the Bundesrat, delegate this authorisation to the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.