A patent attorney is an intellectual property expert whose responsibilities revolve around assisting and representing clients on patent application procedures. A patent attorney must meet with clients to identify their needs, provide advice when it comes to trademarks and trade secrets, discuss and interpret complex subjects such as regulations and laws, and secure rights and properties. Furthermore, as a patent attorney, it is essential to review and negotiate contracts and proposals to avoiddisputes in the future.
However, patent attorneys can earn anywhere from upwards of $51,000 to $177,000 a year. This means that the top-earning patent attorneys make $126,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.
Perform all aspects of corporate litigation including discovery, motion practice, deposition and trial preparation.
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This type of attorney specializes in obtaining protection for your intellectual property (IP). He or she will examine the invention, guide inventors through the patent application, and actually obtain a patent on the invention.
Advise and deal with infringement on patents and patent applications
Patents are granted by the government and give inventors the right to prevent other parties from using or copying their invention for 20 years. You may not use the title "patent lawyer" unless you are qualified and are admitted to the patent lawyer register. Most patent lawyers are patent consultants, and there are also registered trademark lawyers.
Since a patent lawyer will represent inventors before the USPTO, he or she must pass the USPTO license exam, commonly known as the patent bar.
Creating a patent can be difficult. You don't only need to accurately and efficiently describe the technicalities of your creation, but you also need to protect your valuable IP by ensuring that you express how your invention is different from existing inventions in your industry. Patent law is very technical. Even if an invention is easy, writing your own patent can be pretty risky.
Most patent lawyers work a regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday schedule, but overtime hours may be required .
It is important to obtain the proper attention because when a patent application is poorly written, it can be useless and potentially harmful, and can cause an illusion of protection.
A patent attorney is a critical member of your team if you have an idea for an invention. From the moment you have a concept in your mind, it is essential to get proper counsel to document, draft, apply for, and obtain a patent. A patent attorney is expertly trained and has intimate knowledge of the patent system to help you get that patent.
Using a patent attorney frees an inventor to expend their efforts in developing technology and marketing their products while delegating the drafting and negotiating to those who do that every day.
Once a patent is granted, it must be protected against infringement. Competitors will try to sidestep the claims of your patent or will outright copy it. When this happens, a patent attorney will act on your behalf to enforce the patent, including filing appropriate lawsuits.
It may sound a bit odd, but you really need to consider how your patent will be owned if you are married. A patent has ownership similar to other types of property. If you obtain a patent and subsequently get divorced, the patent is likely to be considered a marital asset, regardless of whether your spouse had anything to do with the invention. While patent attorneys aren’t typically practicing estate planning, the patent’s ownership’s proper legal setup should be discussed.
This is where the patent attorney steps in again, drafting amendments and a response to the Office action, arguing why the invention actually is distinct and patentable. Relying on their training, patent lawyers make legal arguments against the rejections to convince the examiner to issue a patent.
The process begins with a meeting between the client and the patent attorney. The client provides details about their invention, and the lawyer provides insight into the patenting process, what’s involved, how much it may cost and how long it is likely to take.
This may include filing lawsuits when someone else infringes a patent holder’s rights. Not all of these cases actually make it to the courtroom. In fact, many of them are settled well before they are brought before a judge or jury. Still, the patent litigation attorney provides helpful, knowledgeable guidance with incredibly complicated court cases, ensuring that patent holders are able to protect their interests.
Attorneys perform a patent search to determine whether or not there are existing patents or patent applications on which the proposed invention disclosure might infringe. At the conclusion of the search, the attorney can provide a more educated estimate with regard to the potential patentability of the invention.
Instead, patent attorneys are required to have a scientific or technical background. This usually means that they have obtained an undergraduate degree in a scientific, engineering or other technical subject area. After that four-year education, they proceed to three years of law school, at the conclusion of which, they must pass the bar exam for the state in which they hope to practice. Then, they must pass a test that is administered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that frequently is referred to as the “patent bar exam.”
This is why it is generally recommended that inventors work with a patent attorney when it is time to protect their invention.
The abstract is a summary of the specification.
Patent attorneys help businesses secure patent protection for their inventions.
A patent attorney’s real value is in their ability to draft a patent specification which not only protects the inventor’s invention, but also protects against any modifications that third parties might make.
The patent bargain is this: governments will grant inventors legal monopolies, but in return, inventors must publicly disclose the technological details underpinning their inventions so that, when their patents expire, the general public can make use of the previously-protected technological knowledge.
Patent specifications are legal and technical documents that disclose inventions. In filing a patent application, a patent specification must be submitted to fulfil the above public disclosure requirements. Failure to adequately disclose an invention can render a patent invalid, as discussed in our webinar at 39:51.
This means the inventor has the exclusive right to make, license, sell and otherwise control the commercialisation of their invention, usually for up to 20 years.
From the government’s point of view, this is a “one step back, two steps forward” proposition: when a patent is active, the patented technology is usually sold at a premium and the general public pays the price. However, in the long-term, the technology becomes freely available and may not even come to exist in the first place without the incentive of patent protection.
Given the market-distorting effects of patents, granted by governments no less, securing patent protection is not a straightforward task, and this is precisely where the skills and expertise of patent attorneys are required.
Learn how to become a Patent Attorney, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Read what Patent Attorney professionals have to say about their job experiences and view top companies for this career.
A patent attorney is a law professional responsible for helping inventors during the patent application process and in protecting the rights of inventors' intellectual property, also known as patent law. Patent attorneys work to represent individuals before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In some jurisdictions, the term patent agent can be used in place of a patent attorney, however, in other areas, only patent attorneys are qualified lawyers.
The timeline can vary depending on your individual schedule and time commitment. Becoming a patent attorney usually takes about seven years. You'll dedicate four years to pursuing an undergraduate degree followed by three years of law school for a J.D.
It is an open-book examination but does require much studying, preparation and focus. The patent bar exam typically has about a 50% passing rate.
A patent attorney has attended law school, earned a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) andis licensed to practice in open court. On the other hand, a patent agent is not a lawyer and cannot offer legal advice on such issues as licensing or infringement.
Salary.com says the average Patent Attorney makes $223,222 a year. This profession is No. 4 in CNN Money’s list of Top-paying jobs with a range of $175K to $260K per year.
IP lawyers play a variety of critical roles related to the protection of intellectual property. In some capacities they act as advocates representing clients in court proceedings. … Or it may be as complex as filing a lawsuit and, if a settlement is not reached, going to court to resolve the matter.
Careers in patent law offer good — that is, usually interesting and well remunerated — job opportunities. Although becoming an attorney requires additional training, long-term career prospects are often much better than, say, those of becoming a faculty member at a research-intensive institution.
Stress may come in the form of long working hours, demanding clients, and tight deadlines, but that is true for any law firm. You may enjoy the job aspect where you interact with clients and their creative ideas, discussing their invention, and researching the likelihood of successfully attaining a patent.
Despite being an open book exam, the patent bar exam is one of the toughest in the country, with less than 50% passing since 2013. Many students put in additional hours post-course of study but still feel like they’re ill-prepared and nervous on exam day.
In order to become a patent attorney, a science or engineering degree is required. This is a requirement set by the Professional Standards Board for Patent and Trademark Attorneys. It is also very helpful to have a PHD.
According to SEEK, the type of lawyer that earns the most money is a Generalist In-House Counsel, with an average salary of $128,988. They are closely followed by Building and Construction Lawyers who earn an average annual salary of $124,041.