Certificate in Patent Administration - 2010-2011 course

The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys is pleased to announce that the eleventh course will commence on 2 September, 2010 in London (and 6 September in Manchester). The course seeks to provide systematic training across a range of administrative activities and culminates in an examination, success in which leads to the award of the Certificate in Patent Administration which confers entitlement to Associate Membership of CIPA.

Who should attend?
The course is aimed at experienced administrators and formalities clerks both in private practice and industry. Candidates who have less than one year’s experience are unlikely to be able to benefit fully from the course.

What does the course cover?
The course covers in depth the formalities for filing patent applications and renewals in the UK and under the EPC and PCT together with an indication of those of key overseas jurisdictions. It also covers Design Rights under both UK and European jurisdictions and provides an overview of Trade Marks formalities. It deals with fees and accounting procedures and gives a basic understanding of the background English law and aspects of the ownership of IP rights. The programme includes a visit to the Intellectual Property Office in Newport where there will be an opportunity to see activity in some of the departments.

The course is delivered by a combination of patent attorneys and experienced administration managers. Comprehensive notes are provided so as to create a file for reference. It is assumed that candidates have access to standard volumes such as the European Patent Convention and the Patent Cooperation Treaty. The course concludes with a three-hour ‘open book’ examination success in which leads to the award of the Certificate in Patent Administration.

The course syllabus is available on the Institute website and may be obtained in hard copy from the Course Coordinator.

Where and when is the course held?
The course consists of some 21 2-hour sessions of formal instruction, held once a week and running from September to the following April or May. A mock exam is held partway through the course and the programme also includes revision and review sessions.

Two courses are offered in London on Thursday mornings (11.00am-1.00pm) and Thursday afternoons (3.00-5.00pm) in the Institute Hall. The course may also be run at other centres outside London if there is sufficient demand and suitable facilities and local support are available. Alternatively, under certain circumstances, firms or local groups of firms may be able to run the course in-house and according to a more flexible timetable, please click here for more details. Firms wishing to take advantage of this should make early enquiries.

The 2010-11 course will begin on 2 September 2010 in London and on 6 September in Manchester with the final exam on 28 April 2011.

What are the entry requirements?
Candidates must be entered for the course by their employers and must have a named Mentor to support and advise them throughout the course, where necessary directing them to sources of information. The Mentor could be a patent attorney, a senior administrator or any other person able to provide active support and guidance. The mentor must be either a Fellow or Associate member of CIPA.

If demand exceeds supply, places may be limited to two per organisation and priority given to (a) candidates or organisations which have provided lecturers (maximum of two per organisation) and (b) candidates who register an interest in attending the course at least two months before the start date. Although every effort will be made, candidates cannot be guaranteed their first choice of time/venue.

Once the course has started candidates will not be permitted to change to another sessions or group. A minimum attendance is required to gain the certificate – other than in exceptional circumstances candidates should not miss more than three sessions of the course.

How much does it cost?
The fee for the Certificate in Patent Administration course, including examination, this year is £350+VAT.

To view the syllabus from the 2010/11 form click here.

Application form
You may obtain an application form by clicking here.

Timetable
The provisional timetables can be viewed here for London; and here for Manchester.

Past papers
Past examination papers

ITMA Administrators Course
Details (link to ITMA website)