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A Patent Attorney
A patent attorney is a person who represents a patent applicant or patent holder and is specially qualified to do so. Patent attorneys can help clients file, prosecute (e.g. respond to examination reports) and maintain patent applications as well as act for clients in patent oppositions and provide patent validity and infringement advice.
Registration as a patent attorney in Australia is administered by the Professional Standards Board for Patents and Trade Marks Attorneys. The Professional Standard Board publishes a Code of Conduct and administers the disciplinary regime for the profession.
Some Australian patent attorneys are fellows or ordinary members of the Institute of Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia, the professional body governing the patent attorney profession in Australia.
Patent attorneys have a right of privilege in their communication with clients in respect of intellectual property matters.
Qualifications
Patent attorneys generally must have both an engineering or science degree and have completed a group of topics prescribed by the Professional Standards Board. This group of topics may take the form of a Masters degree such as the Master of Industrial Property offered by the University of Technology, Sydney.
Activities
The Institute of Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys website provides a good summary of what activities patent attorneys can carry out:
- Advise on intellectual property (IP), and help IP owners register and maintain their property
- Apply for and secure patents, registered trademarks, registered designs and plant variety types in Australia and overseas
- Help transfer technology by licensing and other processes
- Conduct IP audits of organisations and products
- Conduct litigation in Australia and overseas
- Determine whether a development is new and sufficiently inventive enough to justify a patent
- Determine the nature and ambit of inventions and prepare patent specifications
- Lodge documents with the Patent Office, and guide applications through the process
- They also help clients manage their IP portfolios, advise on patents and registrations held by others, and advise on whether developments infringe or might infringe rights held by others.
Testimonials
"I contacted Baxter IP following a previous fruitless, lengthy and expensive experience with one of the large specialist IP firms in a previous business.I have now engaged Baxter IP for two projects, one simple, and one complex. In both cases Chris has demonstrated his talent for rapidly gaining a depth of subject understanding and a grasp of the important issues prior to producing and lodging highly regarded patent documents
I have no hesitation in recommending Baxter IP."
"After receiving an introduction to Chris from a highly respected and successful VC, I found Chris to be a very professional and gifted operator who sincerely desires to deliver a first class job. Upon seeking his opinion on a very detailed and complex matter, I found him to be thoughtful, thorough and able to grasp the vision behind what I asked him to advise me on"
"Thank you for your professionalism and service with providing Focus Driving School with its first Trademark. We received the Certificate of Registration yesterday and we are all very excited about it. We look forward to implementing the R symbol on our stationary and have displayed the Certificate in our office."
"We decided to invest in a patent for our LC888 window lock. Baxter IP assisted us with the process which can be very involved, their advice was helpful and we would recommend their services."
"We recently engaged Baxter IP to manage and direct our Intellectual Property needs. We found Chris to be very responsive, committed and diligent in his approach to providing us with direction to matters that became urgent. Chris demonstrated that he could offer creative solutions to solve problems and meet some very tight deadlines. To achieve this it is evident that Chris has valuable skills and knowledge that can only be gained through extensive experience. Chris is currently preparing a global strategic direction for the Popcake suite of products. Chris comprehended future issues, and there are numerous conflicting factors, and reported these to Board of Directors without ambiguity and clear future corporate direction."
"I cannot recommend Chris Baxter's skills as a patent attorney highly enough. Chris' strength lies with his ability to work closely with the inventor. Too many patents are open to unlicensed use because a clever copier can avoid infringement by exploiting weaknesses in an invention's specification and claims. Avoiding these weaknesses requires the ability to foresee alternative ways in which the invention could be used without infringing the patent."
"I am very pleased with the result of Chris Baxter's work and would highly recommend him to anyone seeking to own intellectual property. My product was quite basic and the chance of getting a certified innovation patent certificate was slim. My first attempt was unsuccessfull however with Chris's expert knowledge, he was able to remove the grounds of objection and the claim got accepted. I received the news from him on New Year's Eve which made a great start to this year. Great work Chris!"
"We approached Baxter IP to work with us on the registration of a patent. During Chris's preliminary searches he found a similar product already in the marketplace that our searches failed to find. Although we were unable to patent our product, Chris's honesty and professionalism saved us thousands of dollars in unnecessary searches and registration fees. If you are looking for a Patent Attorney, I would highly recommend Baxter IP"
"It is distinctly reassuring to have someone as meticulous as Jon handling your work; you know your patent will be water tight. He possesses a sharp legal mind and crafts strong, broad and eloquent claims. His skills, in combination with his willingness to listen to feedback and iterate to perfection make him an exceptional choice."
