A discharge device for discharging electric currents in a machine from a rotor part to a stator part, the rotor part in particular having a shaft, the discharge device comprising a contact element and a spring being connectable to the stator part in an electrically conductive manner, the contact element made predominantly of carbon, the contact element pressurized with a contact force by the spring for realizing an electrically conductive sliding contact between a sliding contact surface of the contact element and an axial shaft contact surface of the shaft. The contact element is circular, the sliding contact surface being at least annular in shape and disposed coaxially in relation to the shaft contact surface, the spring includes a circular support section which at least in part coaxially envelops the shaft of the machine, the support section being configured for radially abutting against an abutment surface of the stator part.