Just wanted to see if anyone is one, or knows one. I'd like to know more about what they do on a daily basis, and websites I've found have been pretty general.

2/15/2007 2:01:41 PM

I saw the USPTO or something like that at the engineering career fair You have till 4 when it closes.

[Edited on February 15, 2007 at 3:11 PM. Reason : chaged second till to a "when"]

[Edited on February 15, 2007 at 3:14 PM. Reason : add engineering and grammar]

2/15/2007 3:09:19 PM

One of my fellow co-ops is the IP co-op somehow (he's ME, working with patents all day) and pretty much all he does is read patents all day long.

2/15/2007 3:24:43 PM

My uncle is a patent laywer for SAS, but I dunno what he does day to day

2/15/2007 3:40:42 PM

Pretty vague what you want, but I use Daniels, Daniels and Verdonik in RTP:

http://www.d2vlaw.com/

They are not the best, and since using them starting 3 years ago I would definitely not use them again. Are you looking for assistance in writing a patent, or what exactly do you want?

2/16/2007 9:32:31 AM

out patent lawyer pretty much does nothing but research
looks like a boooooooooooring ass job

2/16/2007 9:36:22 AM

i've heard you can make a ton of money doing it, though. but i think you need a business degree to specialize in patent law in law school.

2/16/2007 9:41:20 AM

To be a registered patent attorney with the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office), you must pass the patent bar exam in addition to the regular state bar exam.

To take the patent bar exam, you must have an undergraduate degree in a hard science or engineering.

You can take the patent bar anytime after you get a BS. If you take the patent bar without going to law school, you are known as a "Patent Agent." You can draft patents, research, interview inventors, and everything a patent attorney can do except offer legal advice.

2/16/2007 9:47:59 AM

Yeah, I mostly interested in perhaps going into it... my bf is also interested in it as well since it does pay and assload and we're both kind of not content with our science degrees and the jobs we've found..

2/16/2007 9:48:24 AM

Here is what our $350hr patent attorney does.

1) We submit a potential patent idea, giving as much detail about it as possible.
2) Our patent committee reviews the idea to see if it makes sense and is patent worthy
3) If it passes here, it will go to her (or some of the other guys).
4) If we haven't searched ourselves for prior art, she'll ask us to do that as best as possible, she'll also ask if we referenced any other patents in coming up with our idea
5) At that point, if she doesn't find any prior art there will be several rounds of going back and forth where she is attempting to rewrite the patent in as vague a terms as possible
ex "there exists a plurality of individual signal lines comprising a bus"
6) Eventually, when it meets her criteria for as vague as possible while still seeming like a new idea, she'll file it with the necessary offices

90 days later we get a small amount of change
2 years later when it finally runs through the USPTO, we get another magical check in our mailbox.


At the moment, technology companies are engaged in patent stockpiling wars so it's probably a great time to be a patent lawyer. My luck, I'd take 3-4 years off in an attempt to becoming one, and something miraculous will happen like the patent process will get more streamlined, lessening the need for patent attorneys.

2/16/2007 10:52:32 AM

law is a horrible profession

2/16/2007 10:56:06 AM

Quote :

"i've heard you can make a ton of money doing it, though. but i think you need a business degree to specialize in patent law in law school."

A business degree is not necessary for patent law. You need a science or engineering degree (as someone above pointed out) to sit for the patent bar.

Also, you do not specialize in anything in law school. You can graduate with a degree in basketweaving and still take a patent class in law school. But if you can't sit and pass the patent bar, no law firm will hire you as a patent attorney.

2/16/2007 11:41:36 AM

where's Dave and Juliet? they could probably chime in with some good advice.

2/16/2007 12:36:05 PM