Patent Law Degree

Enjoy Science and Make Money

There are four main types of intellectual property: patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. The patent system exists in most industrialized countries and is designed to reward inventors and authors. Patents are granted by the US patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where patents are carefully examined and protection granted for those that meet legal standards.

Patent law is a specialized field within the practice of law. In order to enter into this profession you will have to obtain a college degree, a law degree and pass the bar exam. Once you pass the bar exam, you then become licensed to practice law.

If you are thinking about specializing in patent law, it is best if you obtain a college degree in engineering, physics or natural sciences such as chemistry and biochemistry. To succeed in this profession a general knowledge, understanding and liking of science is a must.

Patent law degree programs cover courses such as intellectual property, copyright law, patent law and policy, trademark law and unfair competition, antitrust, bioethics, genetics and the law, international intellectual property, international trade law as well as patent claim drafting. This list is in no way exhaustive but it does give you an idea of the curriculum and skills targeted and developed within this profession.

Careers with Patent Law Degree

With a patent law degree you can practice in law firms or as in house counselor in corporations. Tasks include procurement and licensing of patents, advising and representing clients in areas of trade secret law, copyright law and trademark law.

You will often be called upon to obtain permission for your clients to use intellectual property owned by others, negotiating and drawing up licenses to be used. Much of your time will be spend protecting your client’s rights against infringes or defending your client against accusations of infringement. You will be the main source of legal direction and legal support for your clients in matters pertaining to intellectual property.

Patent lawyers work in a variety of settings, from corporations and law firms to universities and government agencies. In corporations, you would work as an in-house counsel. You would have expertise in the technology of your corporations and your main task would be driven by the business of the corporation. For example, if you work for a marketing company you will most likely spend your time protecting trademark matters. If you work for a book publishing company or record company, you would specialize in copyright law.

In law firms, you would have a wide variety of clients and would practice patent law across a wide spectrum of technologies. Having more technical backgrounds is better if you wish to ultimately work in this type of setting. While these types of positions tend to pay better, they are also more stressful and time consuming. By representing multiple clients you are bounded to have competing deadlines and tasks.

At universities, you could work as a law professor. In these types of positions, you would not only teach but have the time to do research and write articles and presentations on intellectual property law. You will most likely need work experience before being considered for a position in academia. Since, in this position, you would spend your time educating aspiring patent lawyers, experience in the field is critical to add reliability and confidence.

The federal government employs a large number of patent lawyers within a number of different agencies such as the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy as well as the Department of Justice. In this role you would represent the government and litigate on behalf of government agencies.

Patent Lawyer Salary - How much could you make?

If you like what you read about patent law so far, you are going to love what comes next! According to PayScale.com, in 2005 the average patent lawyer salary was $115,000.

The American Intellectual Property Law Association reports the average salary to be over $180,000. If this surprises you, it should not. Keep in mind that you must have a strong science or engineering background in order to become a patent attorney. Due to such high education demands, this specialization of law is more in-demand that other legal areas of practice. As a result, salaries are high.