What Employees Of Patent Firms Do

By Jocelyn Davidson


Patents are provided by governments protect the inventions of inventors against malicious copying. In the US, the state of Corvallis, OR allows protection against abuse of inventions for 20 years. The practitioners who do the securing and application of patents are called patent attorneys. They were known as agents previously and they work with patent firms. It takes a great deal of understanding of patents and laws pertaining to them plus a wide school of knowledge in intellectual property law to become great at this job.

Lawyers in this field can be employed by companies to provide advice concerning patents or they may work as self-employed entrepreneurs. The nature of the job depends on the nature of employment named above. Typically, the agent has to meet with clients and discuss the details of their invention and whether or not patents can be granted to them. This may involve traveling from one place to another

Previous patents within the same field of specialty and originality of the invention are the subjects of discussion during meetings. The attorney must conduct research to ensure that the work is original and unique. The lawyer only proceeds to produce a patent draft after determine that an invention is original and has never been filed before. Drafts are brief descriptions of the invention using legal terms.

After confirming that drafts contain all the necessary details and terms of an invention, patents are applied for by the practitioner. Government examiners read through all applications and pose questions to attorneys who filed the applications about the invented work. Attorneys must therefore prepare adequately in advance on how to respond to the questions. Patents are issued for all applications that go through. The agent must go further to ensure that the patents are renewed on a yearly basis on time. Agents also counsel clients about infringements and also represent them in courts of law against the offenders.

The working hours are the same as to those for other lawyers in other fields. They work from Monday to Friday with occasional overtime if deadlines need to be met. It is also not uncommon for practitioners to be called from their holidays to attend to urgent matters. Most of the work is done in the office but traveling to local and sometimes overseas destinations is not avoidable.

Possession of tertiary qualifications in an engineering or scientific course is required for entry into this field. Registration further requires individuals to take an accredited course administered and regulated by the governing authority. Skills are acquired on-job as one continues to practice. People start as technical assistants and rise slowly. Having a postgraduate course in intellectual property law can attract employers.

Successful lawyers need to have certain personal and professional qualities, interests, and skills to make good practitioners. First, it is mandatory for one to have knowledge of intellectual property law and a background in a technical or scientific discipline. Since communication between practitioners and clients, authorities, and other attorneys happen frequently, one must be good in written and spoken communication. Deadlines must also be met at all times by working diligently and accurately for long hours.

Being fluent in several foreign languages is advantageous. This is because international cases may involve foreign agencies and authorities. Practitioners are advised to be members of an association in the field.




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