Pelikan Holding AG is a German manufacturing company of writing, office and art equipment. Credited with the invention of the differential-piston filling method, the original company was founded in Hanover in 1838 before it went bankrupt and restarted. Through a reverse takeover on 8 April 2005, Pelikan Holding AG is now an Aktiengesellschaft company (limited by shared ownership), part of the Pelikan Group GmbH.