eMail encryption

Would you write your family secrets on a postcard and drop it in the nearest letterbox?

Unencrypted e-mails correspond to the principle of a postcard. They can be viewed by third parties on their way from you to the recipient. Sensitive data in particular should therefore only be sent over the Internet in encrypted form.

Unless it is protected by a patent application, your invention is sensitive information that is often the target of industrial espionage. Many countries and email providers routinely monitor and index email traffic. For this reason, you should never send us information via unencrypted e-mail until a patent application is filed. You should always encrypt messages containing your invention disclosure or, for example, your feedback on patent drafts. The easiest way to do this is to communicate via an end-to-end encrypted messenger, or alternatively via encrypted email.

Encrypted communication via messenger

MBM ScienceBridge GmbH uses the Matrix-network for this purpose and recommends the messenger Element. You can install the corresponding software on mobile phones, tablets and workstations, which then allows convenient communication.
Secure communication is also possible here without installing software after creating an account or logging into the web-based variant of Element. Encrypted voice or video calls are also possible in this way. You can then reach our team members, for example, via the corresponding ‘Chat via Matrix’ links in their profiles.

A detailed explanation and instructions for using Matrix/Element can be found here. The Matrix-network is also used by additional  academic institutions in Germany.

Encrypted Communication via Email

There are several free-of-charge programs available that encrypt your relevant e-mails.
For Windows computers, we recommend the Gpg4Win solution that is supported by the Federal Office for Information Technology Security (BSI). You can download the program here. You will find an adequate solution for Apple computers here. For Linux computers, tools like gnupg are normally a part of the basic features of the various distributions.
Before you can send us an encrypted e-mail, you must also import our public key into your encryption program. You can download this key here.