|
You are interested in the IP profession(s)...
|
|
The following may then help you better understand the options and steps to take.
Studying and EQE training
Working for a patent law firm, a large company, a small company, and a patent office (e.g. EPO)
Please feel free to contact me (a.gasnier@tudelft.nl) to improve and complement this page with your views and experience.
First of all, you must define your ultimately your goals and also in which country you want to live. Many ways are possible to get experience in the patent field. The range of professions is pretty large from drafting patent applications to commercialization of patents and contract crafting (licensing).
To give you a better impression of all the possibilities, I recommend having a look at the different types of jobs in this field. See those looking for you.
Alternatively you can look for the companies and law firms in the country of your interest using e.g. the database of European patent attorneys.
www.epo.org/patents/Grant-procedure/representatives.html
According to me, the best (financial) option is first to find an employer (company, law firm, patent office), to work for one year and then to study while still working.
A few options exist in the IP field to combine working & part-time law school. CEIPI and Queen Mary College offer accelerated studyings (3 months or 8 times one week during one year).
Working before studying allows also to check whether you indeed like to work in the IP field. Also, the employer usually pays for the costs (tuition, travelling, living).
· CEIPI (Strasbourg - France) http://www.ceipi.edu
Vous trouverez ci-dessous un compte rendu sur l'entretien d'admission au CEIPI cycle long (juillet 2006). Pour le cycle court il n'y a pas d'entretien a passer.
L'entretien se déroule toujours à Paris (à 10 minutes à pied de la gare du Nord). Dans un premier temps le directeur de l'école fait un discours. Il présente l'école (historique, objectifs) puis explique ce qu'il attend des candidats qui seront sélectionnés lors de leur future année d'étude : quantité de travail, implication personnelle, prérequis nécessaires; il a fortement insisté sur le niveau linguistique des candidats, en anglais bien évidemment mais aussi en allemand, précisant qu'il n'y avait pas de cours d'allemand débutant. Ensuite il présente un par un les examinateurs. Apparemment ce sont tous des pointures dans leurs domaines, donc des gens très occupés donc qui n'ont absolument pas eu le temps de lire les CV avant de venir. Pendant l'entretien l'élève devra donc expliquer son parcours et pourquoi il veut faire cette formation.
L'entretien est rapide (10 min voire moins) et n'est absolument pas un test de connaissances : ni questions scientifiques, ni questions de propriété industrielle (certains élèves n'ont jamais fait de cours de propriété industrielle de leur vie), parfois une partie se passe en anglais (mais rare, généralement simple vérification des notes au TOEFL ou au TOEIC et des séjours à l'étranger). L'entretien n'est là que pour savoir si la personne ne s'est pas trompée de voie étant donné que travailler dans la PI est un métier particulier. Durant l'entretien l'élève doit surtout montrer sa motivation (dire par exemple qu'il a fait un module d'initiation aux brevets d'inventions qui lui a plu). Savoir ce qu'est la PI, en connaître les grandes notions est un plus.
La réussite à l'entretien dépend essentiellement du nombre de candidats présents et de la filière (electricite, mecanique, chimie) dont l'élève vient. »
· ETH Zurich (Switzerland) http://www.ndsge.ethz.ch/en/index.html
· Queen Mary and Westfield College (London, United Kingdom) www.ccls.edu/ccls.html
· Université Strasbourg I - Louis Pasteur + Université Strasbourg III - Robert Schuman (France) http://www-ulp.u-strasbg.fr
· Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition- and Tax Law (Munich, Germany) http://www.ip.mpg.de
· Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Karlsruhe, Germany) http://www.isi.fhg.de
· Pierce Law Center (Concord NH, USA)
You will find the requirements and deadlines for applications on these sites.
There are also some European universities which start to be active in patents, e.g. University of Sussex (UK) and Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg (Sweden).
Others available at http://www.epo.org/topics/ip-webguide/educational.html
EQE stands for "European qualifying examination". It is the exam to become a European patent attorney.
Sitting for the EQE requires mainlty: a Master degree in Sciences, and 3 years of professional experience with a European patent attorney.
Passing the EQE is almost a basic requirement to pursue beyond "patent engineer", e.g. to access management positions especially in large companies.
Also the demand for European patent attorneys is very (very) high in Europe but else where as well e.g. in the USA.
Official website on the EQE: http://www.epo.org/patents/learning/qualifying-examination.html
Advice for candidates at http://www.patskills.ch/advice.html
Function: patent attorney. It consists mainly in: drafting patent applications; replying to communications from patent offices; and preparing opinions on patentability, freedom-to-operate.
Some patent law firms are listed at http://www.epo.org/topics/ip-webguide/lawfirms.html
You can look for the law firms in the country of your interest using e.g. the database of European patent attorneys: www.epo.org/patents/Grant-procedure/representatives.html
Functions: patent attorney, licensing professional, IP analyst
Often, possibilities to evolve to management positions
You can look for the companies in the country of your interest using e.g. the database of European patent attorneys: www.epo.org/patents/Grant-procedure/representatives.html
Often more possibilities to deal with more diverse functions and tasks along the way
You can look for the companies in the country of your interest using e.g. the database of European patent attorneys: www.epo.org/patents/Grant-procedure/representatives.html
WORKING for a patent office (e.g. EPO)
Functions: Patent examiner. It mainly consists in preparing the so-called "Search Reports" (list of publications prejudicial against the patentability of he invention claimed in a patent application) and communications (i.e. elaborating the arguments why the claimed invention is not patentable).
Possibilities for other functions e.g. Oppositions Divisions, Boards of Appeals, and others
Current vacancies for patent examiners at the EPO: www.epo.org/about-us/jobs/engineers-scientists.html
Current vacancies for other functions at the EPO: www.epo.org/about-us/jobs
Some recruiters in Europe are specialized in IP. Many opportunities exist in the UK.
The opportunities in USA are almost endless.
Il y aussi des offres d'emploi publies dans les journaux officiels par ex. de l'OEB (paper version only - usually available at the patent offices).
Last updated: 5 July 2008
