What is patent work?

Patent work is a specialist area of the law that protects intellectual property rights. It is a unique area of work, operating on the interface between law, science and technology.

When someone comes up with a new product or process, they apply to have a patent to protect their interests for up to twenty years. In effect, this means that no one else can use the invention (or the underlying ‘inventive idea’) without paying a fee to the inventor. Patents apply only to scientific and technical inventions that are capable of industrial application, and they must be physical objects rather than ideas and theories. Inventors don’t just apply for a patent themselves. They take their invention to a patent agent, also known as a patent attorney, who will write a specification of the object detailing how it works. The agent will use this to convince the patent examiners at the UK Intellectual Property Office or European Patent Office that it is a new invention. After discussion and investigation, if the patent examiner agrees that it truly is a new invention, a patent will be issued. It can take up to five years to grant a patent.

Rights to use the invention can be sold, hired or licensed to others through the patent agent, who also makes sure that the patent is not infringed upon. Patent agents also advise clients who are proposing new products, investigating how existing patents and intellectual property rights may affect them. Patent agents don’t only concern themselves with patents.The training encompasses all aspects of intellectual property and there are opportunities to work in the related fields of trade marks, registered designs and copyrights. It is not always necessary to have a degree to become a trade mark or design examiner, but it is essential for patent work.