Intellectual Property Lawyer Career Guide and Counseling

Question: How to become an intellectual property lawyer? I am a patent attorney now in China, but I want to be an intellectual property lawyer, and I want to know what should I learn? what should I do to be an excellent IP lawyer.

Answer: Start by getting an undergrad degree in engineering or chemistry. Then go to law school to get a JD (just a normal JD like any other lawyer). You will then use your 2 degrees to apply for jobs at IP firms and learn on the job.

Question: intellectual property attroney. Info from an intellectual property lawyer would be great.? what is a day in the life of an intellectual property lawyer like. what do they basically do on a day to day basis. How much is the avereage salary for a lawyer straight out of law school going into IP. and how much is the salary after af couple years of experience.Do they got to court or are things handled inside the offices. An intellectual property lawyer is bascially in patent, trademark, and copyright. Right?

Answer: to patent, trademark and copyright which is primarily statutory law, add contracts, "work for hire", trade secrets and non-disclosure agreements. To be a staff IP lawyer, you would work for major Rights Holders in infringement actions against mostly poor people.

Question: What exactly does working as a IP(Intellectual Property) lawyer, in the UK, involve? Do you need to have extra qualifications to be qualified as a IP lawyer? Is it something you start in, or do people move into IP law from other departments? Thanks

Answer: IP lawyers generally involve with copy rights, trade marks,patents etc. any lawyer can be an IP lawyer but they need to be specialize in that area of law just as other specialize lawyers do. you can study IP law as a module in a university or you can do a masters degree in IP law as you are required to have a good knowledge in IP law to become an IP lawyer.

Question: Where can I find an intellectual property lawyer who will answer a question for free? I'm in the process of publishing a story, whose idea I got from a movie. I want to make sure I'm not plaigerizing, but I don't have the money to call attorneys who will charge me just for legal advice. Does anyone know of attorneys who can answer my question for free?

Answer: Same place you find the mechanic who'll fix your car for free and the plumber who'll unclog your toilet for free. Many lawyers will answer a simple question or two for free, or give a free initial consultation - but what you're talking about will require research into the story lines of the movie and your book, and a reliable answer will not come quickly - or free. Richard

Question: Intellectual property lawyer? What do they do? Im 13 and my mom says that i have an unbelivable talent and she sees SOOO much of a lawyer in me. In the past few months, ive been really intrested in that . and i took a carrer test today that told me to be an intellectual property lawyer.. what are they?

Answer: Intellectual property is defined as :"Property that derives from the work of the mind or intellect, specifically, an idea, invention, trade secret, process, program, data, formula, patent, copyright, or trademark or application, right, or registration".They include patents, trademarks, and copy rights . The laws which protect these works relating to individuals and firms is known as Law of Intellectual property and a lawyer who practices this law is known as Intellectual property lawyer.

Question: Patents: I need an intellectual property lawyer to advise me on patent information.? I need to get something patented before I sell a prototype to a manufacturer, for production and distribution. I am a business woman with more experience in finance. If you don't mind to please advise me, maybe we can become friends in the process. I can hire a intellectual property lawyer if no one answers me here. It is not a problem. This is just the quickest solution I have.

Answer: Well, first, patents take YEARS to acquire, as the examination process can be quite lengthy and require amendments and additional proof. You may file for a patent before you sell the prototype (in fact, due to a concept called the "on sale bar" you HAVE to file a patent within so many months of selling your product, or otherwise your patent is deemed invalid and available in the public domain) but that process may take weeks as well, as the patent attorney has to investigate the "prior art," have drawings made up, draft the patent, etc. One thing you can do when you're setlling your prototype is to get a confidentiality / nondisclosure agreement, that essentially requires the manufacturer not to disclose any confidential information (i.e. your not-yet-filed patentable invention) to anyone nor to make profits from it by dropping you as a client and just making the dang thing themselves. Attorneys do this work all of the time. Unlike copyright and some trademark registrations, a patent application really requires a patent attorney. They're expensive, but if your invention is going to make money, it's just an essential part of the business. Sorry to break the news to you, but (a) see a patent attorney and (b) see perhaps even a different attorney to have a confidentiality and nondisclosure agreement, or whatever other agreements the attorney deems best drawn up before you go too far with this manufacturer! Don't loose your very valuable IP rights!

Question: Corporate Lawyer, Intellectual Property Lawyer, or Bankruptcy Lawyer? They all sound pretty good to me, but I want to know the pros, cons, and salaries of each jobs. Thanks so much!

Answer: That would completely depend on your clients and the law firm you work for but I can tell you bankruptcy lawyers don't make as much as the other two but some lawyers do all three of those things. You don't specialize ina particular area until you start practicing and start taking on more cases in a particular area. Small town lawyers usually do it all because they're people's only option. Bankruptcy Lawyer Pros - Usually little litigation Cons- Tedious and little pay Corporate Lawyer Pros - Lots of money involved Cons - Lots of litigation and responsibility Intellecual Lawyer Pros - New field high demand, $$$ Cons - Highly specialized and technology knowledge a must

Question: How much do Intellectual Property lawyers make? How much do Intellectual Property lawyers make?

Answer: Depends - some work for big city firms, some work independently and some work in-house but either way, in my experience (I've ben a lawyer for 20 years but unfortunately in the badly paid end of the business!) they get paid a lot!

Question: Do intellectual property lawyers need an area of expertise in science/engineering? I'm interested in intellectual property law (probably patents). I know that a lot of patent attorneys have previous degrees in engineering and science, and I do not. Could I still work as a patent attorney?

Answer: It depends. To be admitted to the us patent and trademark office you need to either have a specific degree (there is a list) or have enough credits in the sciences to be allowed to sit for the exam. However, other types of intellectual property (trademarks, copyrights) do not require a technical degree. Go to www.uspto.gov and look for the requirements to take the patent exam. Good Luck!

Question: How do I become a lawyer for intellectual property? I am in undergrad right now

Answer: For IP law, it's helpful to have a technical background. A Bachelor of Science degree can be very useful (such a degree in Biochemistry, for example, gives you a real edge in the field of pharmaceutical IP). Depending on how far into your undergraduate studies you are, and what program you're in, it might be difficult to get into a science stream...but if that's really what you want to do, investigate the minor options. Mind you, there are other IP areas than pharmaceuticals. Computer science courses or engineering courses might also help you get into the field. Throw a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctorate on top of a Bachelor of Science (or even a minor in science), and you'll probably be able to find employment in IP law.