What is a patent?

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for detailed public disc4losure of an invention. An invention is a solution to a specific technological problem and is a product or a process. Patents are a form of intellectual property. For more details see: Patent

What is a patent agent?

A patent agent is an individual who has passed the Indian Patent Office’s (IPO) Patent Agent Examination, and is registered with the IPO to prepare, file and prosecute patent applications on behalf of his or her clients. In some countries a patent agent may also be called “patent attorney”, for more details see: Patent Attorney

Eligibility:

For science and technology graduates, intellectual property is the most common alternate career path. See: Patent Agent Exam Apirants

Employers of patent agents:

Patent agents could be self employed or employed by following:

  • technology licensing / transfer offices of universities and other R&D institutions,
  • innovation led technology firms
  • law firms practicing in intellectual property laws
  • companies offering patent related products like search software etc
  • companies offering patent related services like patent search and analysis
  • technology licensing & brokerage firms
  • state patent offices like IPO in India.

The skills and experience acquired while becoming and practicing as a patent agent may be globally applicable like patent searching, analysis, drafting etc though a patent agent may or may not be permitted to prosecute in patent offices beyond his / her country. Therefore except for prosecution, a patent agent from India has the potential to be employed in any country.

Expected Salary:

No reliable estimates for salaries of patent agents in India are available as of yet but PAAI is working towards gathering data for the same. They usually vary heavily and depend on the type of employer and type of responsibility. The salaries for US are US$52,000 to $143,000, with a median of almost $90,000.

 

for further information contact: contact@paai.org.in