Overview of Patent Agent Jobs

Answer 1

While it is not considered a tangible asset by Accountants, one of the most valuable things in the world can be intellectual property. Intellectual property typically can include ideas for creating a new product or service, improving an existing one, or a wide variety of other things. To ensure that it is protected from being copied or stolen, most people will choose to protect their intellectual property by having a patent completed and officially registered with the US Patent Office.

To ensure that their ideas are legally and appropriately protected, most people will need to have their patent created and submitted by a patent agent. A patent agent is an individual that will work with a customer to get a full understanding of the idea. They will then take the idea to create a patent that will help protect the idea from being copied. Actually creating a patent can be a somewhat tricky process as it requires fairly detailed description, but also needs to be broad enough to prevent someone from altering it slightly.

Beyond creating a patent, a patent agent will also have to complete a significant amount of research to ensure that the product they are attempting to patent does not violate any other patents or any laws or regulations. This will include reviewing existing patents on similar products and reviewing local laws, which could prevent either the product or parts of it from being legal.

A patent agent is similar to a patent attorney and they frequently complete much of the same work that an attorney does. The main difference between an agent and the attorney is that the agent did not go to law school or complete the BAR exam. In most situations, a patent agent does have a degree in engineering, which allows them to understand much of the technical aspects of the products that they are working with. Most patent agents will eventually attempt to become attorneys. This is because attorneys tend to be compensated far more than agents and they can provide their customers with a variety of other services that agents cannot provide since they have not passed the BAR.