Journal

EQE mapping brings clarity for UK patent attorney trainees

Last month, we reported that IPReg had confirmed the outcome of its EQE mapping exercise, recognising paper M3 of the new European Qualifying Examination (‘EQE’) as an accepted route for demonstrating the advanced drafting and amendment competencies required for admission to the UK Register of Patent Attorneys. Here, Debbie Slater and Matthew Philpotts reflect on what the decision means for trainees and on the constructive work between IPReg and the profession that helped bring clarity to the qualification pathway.

Debbie Slater, Chair of the Education Committee:

Most patent attorneys in the UK are dual qualified, holding both UK and European patent attorney qualifications. Although the European Patent Convention and UK patent law are closely aligned, they are not identical. Trainee patent attorneys therefore must demonstrate the competencies required for admission to two separate professional registers.

For many trainees, that has meant sitting two sets of examinations during their training, with all the attendant pressure and uncertainty. For several decades, the UK qualification system has recognised the significant overlap between the UK and European pathways by allowing exemptions from certain UK papers where candidates have passed EQE papers assessing closely related skills. When the European examinations were revised, it was therefore right that IPReg should review whether those exemptions remained appropriate.

IPReg convened a working group to consider the issue, and a detailed mapping exercise was undertaken between the new EQE examinations, in particular paper M3, and the IPReg competencies for registration as a UK patent attorney. The exercise was thorough and robust, and was also subject to external review. That review concluded that a high level of confidence could be placed in the mapping process.

Importantly, the outcome does not suggest that the UK and European examinations are identical. Rather, it recognises that the relevant EQE route remains a valid way of demonstrating the advanced drafting and amendment competencies required for UK qualification. It also underlines the continuing importance of the European qualification process within the professional development of UK patent attorneys.

The process has been an excellent example of cooperation between the regulator and the patent attorney profession. IPReg and the profession were mindful that uncertainty over the future of the exemptions was making it difficult for trainees to plan their examination routes and career progression. Considerable effort was therefore made to reach a decision within a timeframe that would allow trainees to make informed choices about which examinations to sit.

There are plans to review the position as the new EQE beds in and more data becomes available. For now, however, this has been a model example of how the profession and its regulator can work together constructively for the benefit of trainees and the wider profession.

Matthew Philpotts, Honorary Secretary of The Informals:

The Informals are delighted with the outcome of the review of the new EQE and IPReg’s decision to maintain an exemption route for UK papers FD2 and FD3

In one sense, this confirms the continuation of a familiar pathway. But for trainees, that confirmation matters. It provides the clarity and confidence candidates need as they approach the registration window for the 2026 UK examinations. We are pleased that future cohorts of trainees will be able to qualify within a framework that maintains continuity with the route followed by their predecessors.

We would like to thank everyone involved in this process. A great deal of work has clearly gone into the review over recent months, and that effort will be very much appreciated by the trainee community.