Patent agent is a person, authorized by law to deal with patent applications. They are engaged in protecting intellectual property and preventing infringement.
Who can be a patent agent?
If you’ve done graduation in science, then you are eligible to write the Patent agent exam.
What is Patent Agent exam?
Department of Industrial promotion and policy conducts this exam every year.
You will be registered patent agent after passing this exam.
What are the rights given to Registered patent agent?
- Agent can practice before the Patent office
- Drafting patent applications and Handling prosecution
Role in IPR firm
- Read and understand new invention
- Draft technical document
- Investigation of prior art
Can Engineering students register themselves as patent agents?
Yes.
As I mentioned earlier, any student with Bachelors degree in Science can be a Patent agent. Due to specialization in technology, Engineers have high probability of selection.
Skills required for this job are:
- Good technical skills & basic knowledge of patent will be perfect for this profile.
- Personality traits: ability to communicate, negotiate and lead
Career options after clearing the exam
- Patent agent in Legal process outsourcing firm
- Patent associate/Senior patent associate in Knowledge process outsourcing firm
- Patent analyst in KPO
Is patent agent a superstar?
Software is not protected under patents according to Indian patent law.
But some famous firms have secured software patents:
- Samsung bagged patent for “Method of enhancing performance of variable processor”
- Google has been awarded patent for “Image distortion for content security”
How did they get a patent?
Patent protection is all about the way an application has been drafted
You need to show, ‘how a patent improves end user’s life’. For that people with polished technical skills are required. You can be a superstar in your firm, if you successfully draft such application and manage to get a patent on it. You must’ve understood how patent agents are crucial members in the innovation industry.
Problems in Patent industry
People think that Patent is related to law & it doesn’t require technical skills. But this is where they are wrong.
Lets take an example:
Embodiments of a processor include a 32-bit processor having a 64-bit memory-addressing mode. Embodiments of such a processor include, but are not limited to, an Intel® Architecture (IA)-32 processor that incorporates the Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T), or the like. The 64-bit memory-addressing mode expands the memory addressing capabilities of an IA-32 architecture beyond 4 GBs while enabling an IA-32 system to continue to run 32-bit x86-based applications. Intel® Pentium 4 and Xeon processors may include EM64T.
A person skilled in patent law will not be able to understand this excerpt, taken from Intel Corporation’s application.
Why?
This is because he will not be able to understand technical terms and their usage.
Patent firms are affected severely from the fact that people are unaware of this field & its scope. They either hire people who are under qualified for this position leave lots of positions, like patent engineers, patent analysts, vacant. On the other hand, Engineers have also reached a level of saturation because of unemployment. This emerging field can be a good option for unemployed, but talented Engineers.
