Classes You Will Take in an IP Law Program

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If you’re interested in pursuing a degree in intellectual property law, you’re required to take and complete a variety of classes that are directly related to intellectual property law at a qualified law school.

The path to this career isn’t easy and requires dedication and effort, but once you complete these requirements you’ll be involved in one of the fastest growing practices. Due to the growth in both technology and the global economy, many law firms are taking on more and more cases involving copyrights, trademarks, and patents.

Before we get into the actual classes you can expect to take when specializing in intellectual property law, its first important to note that each and every law school is different and has different requirements for their law degrees. The courses in this article are usually required for a general IP law degree, but some schools may require more or less coursework than others. In order to get a more concrete idea of what courses you’re expected to take, it’s best to research the particular school you’re thinking of attending. Without further delay here are some of the classes you should expect to take when pursuing a degree in intellectual property law.

Copyright Law

Since intellectual property law consists mainly of protecting individuals from copyright, trademark, and patent theft or unfair use you should expect to take law classes dealing in those subjects.

The first course type we are going to talk about is copyright law, which is intended to teach you about the various theories and methods lawyers use to protect an individuals or companies intellectual and creative properties. These include, but are not limited to, copyrights on computer software, architecture, music, literature, television programs, movies, video games, artwork, advertisements, and puzzles. There are certainly many other types of intellectual properties that are protected by copyright laws but these are some of the more common types.

Copyright classes will teach you about the rather complex federal statutes that are in place to protect against copyright infringement, but will also touch on some related laws that can provide an alternative means to copyright protection.

Patent Law

Another set of classes you would take in a general IP law program are those concerning patent law. These classes will teach you all about the various laws and ways a lawyer would go about procuring patents for clients, the sale and transferring of patents, as well as the enforcement of patents. You’ll basically have to show that you have a solid understanding of the rather complex statutory language that defines patent law. You’ll also have to be able to show that you’ve learned how to apply prior court decisions on patents to justify other cases, as well as show an understanding of how and why you would conduct business transactions involving patents.

The fun doesn’t end there as you’ll also be taught how to fully understand the impact of the burden of proof and how various pieces of evidence can be used to assess patent disputes. Finally, you’ll learn about the rather complex situations where there are levels of ambiguity to patent laws and how you would hypothetically asses those ambiguities using the facts of the law.

Trademark Law

Trademark law is another coursework set you will take in an IP law program. Trademark law deals with the investigation and protection of trade symbols. Trademark law explains how and why certain images are protected from unfair use such as using the Burger King logo on T-shirts for sale without their permission. Of course, there is much more to it than that, as you will also learn about how various laws protect individuals and businesses from using and abusing their protected trademarks. In addition, you’ll also become well-versed in actionable false advertising, the law of branding, knowing the difference between trademarks and the other types of intellectual property and how they relate to the law and understanding how trademark law works in relation in the context of unfair competition.

You may even be required to learn about how United States trademark laws relate to that of other countries, as well as the procedures and resources available to register trademarks.

Other Courses

These three subsets of IP law will serve as the backbone of your IP law program, but you may also be required to take an introductory course concerning intellectual property that will set the tone for the other classes mentioned in this article. This course is basically a preview of what intellectual law is which can be a great way for aspiring lawyers to test the waters of IP law in order to see if it’s something they wish to pursue.

There are a few other courses that are recommended for law students pursuing a career in IP law such as patent prosecution, law, science & biotechnology, and antitrust courses.

Taking these courses will certainly get you on the right track to a glorious career in intellectual property law, but you’ll also be required to pass certain tests in order to become licensed to practice these types of cases including the patent bar exam.

Why Learn About Patents if You’re an Engineer?

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Engineers and law are a powerful combination. Communication skills learned in law school complement the quantitative skills developed in engineering training. Analyzing legal cases is similar to techniques used in scientific problem-solving.

Patent law is a specialized legal field which involves the trademarking of new products and inventions. Because of this, lawyers and graduates of certain scientific and engineering fields are the only ones who can sit for the patent bar exam. Engineers falls into this specialized group. Engineers should consider learning about patents because it offers an alternative to the regular work an engineer would take on and because it offers the potential of a high salary.

An engineer can succeed in the legal field if some common pitfalls are avoided. The traps tend to make it hard for engineers to adjust to studying law. Once aligned, engineers do as well in law school as their political science classmates.

The Hard Part

There are aspects of law school that are particularly foreign to many engineers and techies.

Reading, Writing & Testing: The sheer volume of required reading is daunting. It is not unusual to be assigned more than 100 pages to read per night. Reading law material is different from reading a novel. Extremely dense cases slow down even the fastest of readers. Case briefings are also a daily assignment and fast students need several hours to keep the pace. The time crunch is at its worst in the first few weeks when students have no idea what they are doing.

It’s also rare for a student in a science based field to have well developed writing skills. Although science and engineering students may be used to preparing lab reports, law students must be able to prepare well-thought out, well-written dissertations and essays.

Likewise, exams will often test in a real-life, analytical scenario. While scientists and engineers are used to clear cut, fact based exams, exams in law school will require employing critical thinking instead of necessarily simply giving the “right” answer.

Engineering Strengths

Luckily, there are many aspects of legal education that people with a techie background have a distinct advantage with.

Analytic Skills & Math: Legal analysis follows a logical progression. It is similar to proofs. Techies know how to think analytically. Non-techies often struggle with this aspect of law school. The engineer has to learn to convey logic in words to produce effective legal writing. The engineer will also have a leg up on other students when it comes to crunching numbers. Patent Law requires lots of in-depth analytics of statistics. Not only will engineers be able to properly analyze and makes sense of the statistics, but legal battles are often won with logic.

Try not to get too concerned about the trials of a legal education. All law schools require first-year students to take a legal writing class, which will help you to develop the writing skills you need to get through. It is essential for engineers to take the class and develop needed skills for final exams. To ensure that you are successful in taking the patent bar exam, you can also participate in prep classes and study groups as well as take part in test exams to ensure your success. Read cases and begin learning how to analyze them.

The Reason for this Presentation

Becoming a patent agent or patent attorney is not the only career option in the area of patent law. However, only students with science and engineering backgrounds can sit for the patent bar exam. Along with the rise in technology over the last 15 years, the demand for intellectual property attorneys has also risen, as well as job prospects for qualified students.

Patent attorneys and agents help clients with the patent navigation to acquire patents for their inventions. A patent agent does not have to have a law degree. The list below gives the median salaries of different types of engineers, patent agents, and patent attorneys.

  • Agricultural Engineer $59,220
  • Environmental Engineer $63,111
  • Biomedical Engineer $63,861
  • Industrial Engineer $64,515
  • Civil Engineer $65,440
  • Structural Engineer $65,606
  • Design Engineer $65,714
  • Manufacturing Engineer $66,207
  • Mechanical Engineer $69,231
  • Project Engineer $$69,445
  • Chemical Engineer $72,806
  • Electrical Engineer $73,699
  • Electronics Engineer $75,307
  • Software Engineer $81,057
  • Aerospace Engineer $82,398
  • Nuclear Engineer $84,971
  • Patent Agent $92,000
  • Petroleum Engineer $101,817
  • Patent Attorney $133,000

The experience an engineer accumulates by earning an undergraduate degree in engineering makes patent law an ideal field to move into. The only new credential needed to become a patent agent is passing the patent bar exam. However, as you can see, obtaining a law degree and passing the patent bar exam leads to a more lucrative patent attorney career.

Engineers work with their hands and on computers. Attending meetings and communicating with team members or management may also be duties performed. Patent agents don’t work much with their hands.

Most of the day is spent drafting patent applications or overcoming rejections. They spend time communicating with other office members. Communicating with inventors whose patents they are trying to acquire is also necessary.

The inventors may be individuals, groups, or an engineering company or university like the one where you are currently working. Patent agents likely protect more inventions than they would as an engineer or inventor.

Patent Bar Exam

The exam is a multiple-choice, six-hour exam that contains 100 questions. Details from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure are tested. When the USPTO introduces new guidelines, supplemental material may need to be reviewed.

The exam is “open-book.” The candidate has access to the MPEP that outlines all patent law aspects. It contains thousands of pages that do not include the supplemental material. The search function is limited.

To benefit from taking the open-book exam, the candidate needs to know topic locations. The test is timed and does not allow for every question to be researched. It takes many people a full year to prepare for the exam. The average time spent studying is three to six months.

Passing the exam is worth the trouble. There are various scenarios for patent agents seeking employment. Many former engineers immediately obtain a job after passing the exam. Some acquire entry-level positions before preparing for the test. There are those who work first for a technology transfer office. Others gain immediate patent agent employment. In addition, the status of an engineer is elevated upon receiving the credential of a registered patent agent so taking and passing the exam is really an opportunity for nearly any engineer.

How to Get Back Up When You Have Setbacks

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“Even the accomplished suffers setbacks sometimes. The more bitter the lessons, the greater the successes will be.” -Lucio Tan

You are going to fail at some point in your patent law career. You are going to fail at some point in your life. It stings when reality doesn’t align with your expectations. Sometimes you fail because of your own missteps, and there are times you will fail because a situation is completely out of your control.

Whether you failed the bar exam, the patent bar exam, or didn’t get the dream job, it’s these trying moments and these major setbacks that will define your drive and create your future.

You could give up and walk away. That’s the easiest road to take and the road so many end up taking because of a setback. But you are stronger than you know. You are going to dust yourself off and keep trekking because you are in this for the long haul.

Working as a patent agent or patent lawyer will be worth the setbacks you endure, and there are steps you can take to overcome any setback or obstacle.

Analyze the Situation 

The first step is to take a deep breath and analyze the situation in which you failed. There are several questions you will need to ask yourself to properly understand everything that happened.

  • Why did things go the way they did?
  • Could you have prevented what happened or was it out of your hands?
  • What could you do differently next time that might change the outcome to a positive one?
  • What can you learn from this situation?

This is where critical thinking comes into play. You have to think outside of your emotions and personal perception of a situation.

You may feel you studied hard, but you failed the patent bar exam. If you look outside of your emotions, you may realize you may not have dedicated enough time to learning certain aspects of the patent process. You stumbled on specific questions.

Looking at it from another perspective helps too. Ask a close colleague or friend to analyze your setback if you feel comfortable divulging in someone else on the situation.

Stay Focused on Your Goal

A setback can emotionally impact you more than you realize in the beginning. This can make your goal seem close to impossible. It can also cause a fear that can paralyze you from growing and trying again.

You can’t let failure keep you down for too long. It’s okay to grieve and spend some time healing yourself, but you can’t wallow in misery for too long. You have to stay focused on your goal.

If the situation deems it necessary, you may need to reevaluate your goals. Make them more accessible by creating smaller goals that lead up to your biggest goal.

Make a list of what you want to accomplish. “Become a patent attorney” is too vague. Break it down into what steps you need to take to get there. As an example, “Pass the bar exam” can turn into “study four hours daily.” It helps to see these goals in writing.

Create a New Plan

If you’ve already failed it, the next time you take the patent bar exam, you might need to try a different study routine. The only way to turn the negative of a setback into a positive one is to learn from what happened. This is where focusing on your goals helps immensely.

You’ve analyzed your situation, and at this point, you should know what you need to change or work on to pass the exam on your next try. Make a detailed plan that will help you do better next time.

Break your goals down into bullet points or a diagram. Whatever works best for you that will guide you to success.

Take Action

You know where you took a wrong turn since you’ve analyzed the situation and you’ve created a detailed plan on what you need to do to do better. The next obvious step is to take action and begin the plan that you put thought into.

You want to implement your plan and put it into action. You need to ignore the excuses in your head as to why this won’t work, or the thoughts telling you to give up. You need to step up and work harder.

If you plan on studying, stick to your plan. Stick to the hours you’ve set for your study hours. Eliminate any distractions that could deter you.

Stay focused on your goals, and this will motivate you when it comes to sticking to your plan.

Keep Challenging Yourself

The most important thing to remember is to keep challenging yourself despite your struggles and setbacks. If you don’t, you will remain stagnate and won’t accomplish everything you have set out to do.

If you accomplish your goals, set new ones. Your wisdom and maturity stop when you pique in life. So, don’t let yourself pique. Continue to grow and continue to learn.

This goes beyond just your career as a patent attorney or agent. You want to grow in all aspects of your life. You want to be the best you that you can be.

You Often Have to Fail a Few Times to Succeed

Everyone has setbacks, and everyone fails. You’re not alone in this, and you aren’t the first to be in your position, whether you failed the exam or bombed an interview.

Success is subjective, but every successful person has one thing in common. They’ve all had setbacks, but they kept on fighting through these problems. They put their fists up and take a jab right back at life.

The most common thought when one has a setback is that you’re a failure. You are only a failure if you give up trying.

Personal Accountability & Preparing for the Patent Bar Exam

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Preparing for the patent bar exam is more than a little overwhelming. There are a lot of complex details to learn. But if you’re open to taking responsibility for the results and hold yourself accountable, you’re already on your way to being successful. With the patent bar exam and in life, one thing that predicts success is how much accountability you take for your own actions.

A Little About the Exam

Before we talk about proper preparation and the role of personal accountability, let’s take a closer look at the exam itself. If you want to practice as a patent agent or attorney, you have to pass the bar exam. Before you can prepare for an exam, you have to know a little bit about it.

The patent bar exam is structured like many exams with 100 multiple choice questions. The total time to take the exam is 6 hours, but it’s broken down into two sessions. There’s a 3-hour morning session, a 3-hour afternoon session, and an hour break in between. If you do the math, that leaves you with about 3 minutes and 45 seconds per question. That might seem like a lot of time, but most of the questions are long and include a lot of detail.

You must answer at least 70% of the questions correctly to pass. There’s no penalty for getting an answer wrong, so it’s best to make an educated guess, even if you’re not sure.

This test is notoriously difficult. In fact, on average, only 50% of people pass. The pass rate has actually been slightly below that in recent years.

What can you do to give you the best chance of passing? There is no shortcut or trick. You just have to prepare.

How to Prepare

Now for some better news. During your exam, you’re allowed access to the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP). It just so happens that the patent bar exam tests your knowledge of the MPEP and how well you apply it. That said, some people mistakenly think that since the patent exam is an open test they don’t bother to prepare properly.

While it’s technically true that the exam is open book, it’s unrealistic to think that you’re going to be able to look up all the questions on test day. However, figuring out how to use the MPEP efficiently is a good start toward preparing for the exam.

On exam day, the best way to approach the questions is to assume that you’ll need to spend time looking up the concepts that you don’t know.

One really important thing about preparing is that you actually have to do it. That’s where personal accountability comes in.

Personal Accountability and Passing (or Failing) the Patent Bar Exam

Generally, personal accountability can be explained with one simple question. How much of your success in life do you think is in your control?

Believe it or not, if you think that your actions, behaviors, and choices are responsible for your own success, you’re more likely to be successful. If you believe that you are at least 85% responsible for your own success and that only 15% is left to chance or luck, you have a good chance of being successful in whatever you’re trying to achieve.

Therefore, if you believe that your preparation, knowledge, and skill are going to contribute to passing the bar exam, then you’re more likely to pass. It’s not hard to see why. People who have personal accountability know that the time they put into preparing for the patent bar exam is more important than just hoping for a good score or a run of good luck. These are the people who are more likely to do the work needed to succeed.

Not everyone has this much personal accountability, though. The good news? It’s a skill you can learn.

The first step is to take responsibility for your actions. Responsible people know what they need to do, and they do it. That applies to both good and bad situations. It’s easy to take responsibility for hard work or a job that turned out well; but you also have to accept responsibility when the outcomes are not what you expected.

An important way to focus on learning how to take responsibility is to not focus on the past. You can’t change the past. Dwelling on it often leads to regret and what-if’s. Instead, focus on what you can actively do about it. If you’ve failed exams in that past, try not to dwell on it or have the mindset that you’re just a bad test taker. Instead, ask yourself what you can do to have the best chance of passing.

Personal accountability also has an element of self-empowerment. This helps you realize that you really do have the ability to change things and you can start to take the actions necessary to get what you want. It’s one thing to know what you have to do. It’s another thing altogether to actually do it.

By taking responsibility for your own success and seeing that you have the power to change, you’ll be able to make things happen.

The patent bar exam is not easy, but it’s not impossible. Preparing is your best shot at passing.  Whether or not you do the proper prep work is completely in your hands.

Insights on How Long Successful Clients Take to Prepare for the Patent Bar Exam

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Ever wonder just how long it takes to prepare for and pass the patent bar exam?

We decided to review success stories and additional comments sent in by clients who recently passed the exam to find out what the average length of study time is.

Here are the details of the study …

The comments from the last 35 clients providing feedback through our survey form who both passed the exam and provided data about how long they spent studying were reviewed.

The last 35 comments were used in order to focus only on recent statistics in order to be relevant to today’s test taker. The study would not be as helpful if data from a decade ago or more was used. Instead, the study was limited to the last 35 clients who provided both pieces of data which only went back the last couple of years or so.

The number 35 was selected because it is enough to start gaining an idea of approximate study times within a recent range.

After reviewing the data, it was found that the range in study time was less than 1 month (1 week) up to 1.5 years. Again, this is for the last 35 clients who provided an estimate of the time needed to prepare for the exam along with achieving a passing score.

Here’s a breakdown of the approximate study time for those last 35 clients:

  • Study time over 1 year: 2
  • Study time at or around 1 year: 2
  • Study time at or around 9 months: 1
  • Study time at or around 6 months: 6
  • Study time at or around 4 months: 5
  • Study time at or around 3 months: 12
  • Study time at or around 2 months: 5
  • Study time at 1 month or less: 2

Here it is in a visual format:

As you can see, the time range chosen the most often by far is the 3 month plan.

Three months was chosen at a rate twice that of the next most popular plan which was 6 months.

Two and 4 months were only slightly less at a little under half as popular.

The rest were limited to just 1 or 2 clients.

As shown from the breakdown; between 2 and 6 months are the most popular study prep times with 3 months being the most popular.

Three months may be the most popular plan because once you apply to take the exam, the USPTO sets a 90-day window during which you must schedule and take the exam. So a lot of people may be applying, find out they have been approved, and then schedule an exam date at the very end of that 90-day period which equates to 3 months.

This isn’t a bad idea because knowing you can’t postpone your exam date will help keep a lot of people on track. It’s a hard deadline which works well for many people. The only problem is when life gets in the way and you just aren’t ready by the end of that time-period.

We typically advise clients to start studying first and when around half-way through your preparations, send in your application to sit for the patent bar. You can always schedule an exam date well before the 90-day window and in many cases just the week or two after you’re accepted at most Prometric centers if you happen to be ready.

As far as how many hours clients are studying, that’s hard to estimate. A lot of our clients who sent in success stories tried to estimate the specific number of hours they spent studying, but many qualified it with a statement that they weren’t sure. As you can imagine, unless you log your time, it would be difficult to know exactly how many hours were spent studying.

Here is a sampling of total hours from the same 35 clients:

  • “Difficult to say. More than 200 hours.”
  • “About 16 weeks, approximately 12-20 hours per week”
  • ” … off and on for 8 weeks. averaged 6 days a week. probably 4 hours a day. probably about 150 hours total.
  • “Studied for a little less than 3 months. Probably on average 10-15 hours per week.”
  • “3 months. Averaged probably an hour a day, then a few 6 hour sessions towards the end.”
  • “About 60 days, average of about 2-3 hours per day until the last week during which I spent about 5-6 hours per day.”
  • “About 200 hours over 4 months.”
  • “Have full time employment so I’m lucky to find 10 hrs a week to study. So 5 months in earnest. Then 20-30 hrs closer to exam.”
  • “I spent 6 months preparing for the test. Average of about 8-10 hours of study per week. The last month or so was solely exam simulator, with two full length exams taken on the two days prior to the actual exam.”

After reviewing each set of comments there’s a minimum average of about 120 hours to 240+ hours of total study time.

But you can’t just spend 240+ hours randomly studying different chapters out of the MPEP.

Focusing on the most likely to be tested topics and getting in both facts as well as the location of the facts is very important. Some people just focus on one or the other, but it’s important to put in significant hours on both.

The test questions are difficult and they are going to be new to you. You need to know where some of the material is within the MPEP along with the ability to be able to find it very quickly so you can review the question and come up with the right answer.

It’s the mix of these two important strategies; learning high frequency test topic as well as where topics are found within the MPEP that is important.

We hope this study helps you with your patent bar prep planning!

What You Focus on Becomes Your Reality

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Think positive!

How many times have you heard that phrase in your life? In preparing for your career as a patent agent or attorney, you’re likely going to hear this a lot. The patent bar exam is intimidating and finding a job can be a long, frustrating process.

As it turns out, there is merit in the idea of positive thinking. It might surprise you to learn that there is actually some scientific evidence that backs it up.

It Starts with Self-Talk

You might think that positive thinking means trying to turn every situation into a positive one, but that’s not exactly the case. You can’t ignore that there are unpleasant, sad, and even downright devastating things that happen in life. Positive thinking just means that you approach them differently. You always try to see the best possible outcome instead of the worst.

Self-talk is the stream of thoughts that go through everyone’s head, all the time. It’s also the source of positive thinking. One of the easiest ways to become a positive thinker is to identify negative thoughts when they show up. For some examples, let’s look at some common forms of negative thinking.

  • Filtering out positive things while magnifying the negative
  • Blaming yourself when things go wrong, even when they have nothing to do with you
  • Automatically expecting the worst possible outcome
  • Only seeing things as all good or all bad, all black or all white with no shades of gray

If during your preparations for the patent bar you become overwhelmed and immediately start doubting yourself, the rest of your studying probably isn’t going to be very productive. If you look at the passing rates and think, “I don’t have a chance!” then you’re definitely not walking into test day with the best attitude.

The same is true when you’re looking for a job, especially once you land an interview. You have to be able to walk into that first meeting with your future boss and believe that you can get the job. It will affect every interaction you have during the interview and give the impression that you are the best person for the job.

How to Think Positive

If you aren’t a naturally positive thinker, you can become one with a little time and effort. Treat it like any other habit. The more often you do it, the more a part of your life it becomes.

Here are some ways to practice being more optimistic:

  • Focus on the things you usually think negatively about and make a focused effort to be more positive. Start small and focus on one thing at a time.
  • Learn how to recognize when the negative thoughts get through. What triggered it? Is there a pattern? Once you can pick up on this, it’s easier to catch yourself and stop it.
  • Try to laugh as much as you can. It helps reduce stress which will automatically make you feel more positive.
  • Surround yourself with people who have a good outlook on life. You’ll get better advice and encouragement from people who always see the positive side of things.
  • Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to your best friend. It’s true that we are often meaner to ourselves than we would ever be to anyone else. Start treating yourself with the same respect you give other people.
  • Meditate to help you clear the stress and negativity from your mind.
  • Keep a journal or diary to get out any negative thoughts. Sometimes, writing down what’s bothering you is enough to get it out of your head.
  • Take a break every once in a while. Give yourself time to participate in activities you really like and that make you feel good.

Focusing on a Successful Career

The first step to being a successful patent agent or attorney is to pass the patent bar exam. As we’ve mentioned, the exam is difficult, and you might be tempted to let yourself think that it’s impossible. By learning how to think positively, you can stop those negative and intrusive thoughts.

Instead, practice positive self-talk. Tell yourself that you can do it. Congratulate yourself when you learn a section of the material. Think about other big exams that you’ve taken in your life that you did well on. Keeping a positive attitude while you prepare will help you keep motivated to put in the necessary work. The more prepared you are, the more likely you are to pass.

Keep these strategies in mind when you are job hunting, too. Instead of thinking, “why would they want me?” think, “I am awesome, why wouldn’t they want me?”  By seeing your worth and believing that good things can happen, you will approach the job hunt in a more positive way which will show through everything you do.

If you walk into an interview and don’t believe you belong there, that’s going to come through. If you walk in expecting the best possible result, that’s going to show, too. Making a good impression is important when you’re interviewing and being positive is one way to do that.

Don’t forget about self-care. Taking time to decompress before something as stressful as an interview or a big exam can do wonders for your attitude. Sometimes, all you need to get rid of negative thoughts is a clear head.

Make It Real

The true power of positive thinking isn’t magic. You can’t walk into the patent exam without preparing or show up to a job interview without the required experience and assume things are going to work out the way you want them to. But being able to picture the reality you want and believing that it’s possible will give you the motivation you need to do everything you have to do to keep preparing.

What you focus on does become your reality. If you constantly think you’re going to fail, it’s likely that you will. That said, if you allow yourself to think positively, be hopeful, and do the necessary work to prepare, then you’ll find that you might end up exactly where you wanted to be.

Post-August 16th 2018 Hard Copies Ready to Ship

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The Patent Bar exam is being updated in August of 2018. Starting August 16th, 2018, the 9th Edition, 08.2017 MPEP + 4 Exam Notices will be the covered materials.

The PES Patent Bar review online course has been updated to reflect this material for the last several months. We have many clients already studying for the exam with this newer version of the program.

The hard copy version of the 08.2017 post-August 16th, 2018 is also now available.

Here are a few important notes to make about the new hard copies. Since we have recently switched the Basic Patent Training to the online Patent Training Workshop, the hard copy version of the course will no longer include any materials for this first step. All enrollees will watch the videos in the Patent Training Workshop online. I think you’ll agree there’s no benefit to putting the Patent Training Workshop put on DVD since online streaming is possible from virtually any device.

Here is what the updated online + hard copy version of the PES Patent Bar review will now include:

  • 12 months access to the online version with everything offered from within the course
  • 4 Volume Guidebook to Patent Law Set
  • Guidebook Supplement
  • Patent Bar Exam Prep Workbook
  • 3 Volume Practice Exam Questions
  • Checklists
  • Course Structure Handout

All the material listed above is also included in the online version of the course. However, if you need to study offline, we offer this in print format for you if you enroll in the online + hard copy version of the course.

Here is the flow for those who enroll in the online + hard copy version of the course.

  • Step I: Patent Training Workshop online. This step consists of 12+ hours of in-depth video, quizzes, and a glossary to get you up-to-speed on patent law. You will have access to all this online.
  • Step II: Guidebooks + Workbook quizzes. You may study from the hard copy manuals to complete this step.
  • Step III: Practice Exam Questions. You may study from the hard copy manuals to complete this step.

The online version of the course continues to be our most popular version. We can offer it to you for a lower price and the interactivity makes it the best choice for many clients. Sign up for a free Patent Bar Review Trial Account to see exactly how that version works.

However, if you think you would benefit from hard copy print materials, we offer that as an option too. If you’ve already invested in the online course there is a link within the client center to get the hard copy package for a lower price. Contact us if you need help finding it.

For the updated 08.2017 post-August 16th, 2018 version of the course, a total of 194 new questions were added. This number includes quiz questions, workbook questions, and new practice exam questions. Although this was a minor update compared to many updates in the past we have spent 100’s of hours checking old questions and writing new questions as well as updating the Guidebooks in the client center. The online version of the course and the hard copy version are completely updated to include all the new material.

We’re waiting to hear your success story next!

 

 

Patent Training Workshop Progress Update

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The Patent Training Workshop has now replaced the older, Basic Patent Training course within the PES Patent Bar review. We have produced and uploaded approximately 12 hours of video for the new course and it is ready to go for you.

Now when you login to the course, you’ll see the Patent Training Workshop right up top.

Clicking on that will take you to the Patent Training Workshop home page.

If you still want to access the Basic Patent Training course, there is a link to do so at the bottom of the Patent Training Workshop home page.

The Patent Training Workshop is set out with an Introductory Module which covers the who, what, why, when, where, and how to’s of patent law. It is around 1 hour in length and will provide you with the basics of patent law. If you haven’t yet enrolled and are interested, you may watch the videos in the Introductory Module for free by signing up to get a Trial Account.

Once you’ve watched the Introductory Module, you will progress onto Module I of the Patent Training Workshop.

Here is a breakdown of Modules I – IX:

At this point, it is a very complete course that will walk you through the details of most all the topics covered on the Patent Bar exam (in fact, we have 80+ videos in the course right now). There area number of different videos each covering a different topic, quiz questions after each module, as well as a full glossary. Here’s an example of an expanded module:

The Patent Training Workshop is just the first step in the PES Patent Bar review. Once you go through it, you will have gained expertise in the area of patent law and will be more than ready to progress onto Step II which is mastering the MPEP.  That’s where you’ll learn the details and structure of the MPEP through our Guidebooks to Patent Law as well as the Workbook Quizzes.

To really integrate the Workshop into the rest of our program, we link to the related videos from the Patent Training Workshop on each Guidebook chapter page.

As you can see, there’s a new icon titled ‘Training’ and clicking on that will take you to the video(s) that cover topics in the chapter from the Patent Training Workshop course.

For instance, in the home page for chapter 100, we have embedded the ‘Access’ and ‘Foreign Filing License’ Patent Training videos for easy access.

Both these topics are covered in chapter 100 so you can watch those videos either for the first time, or for a second time right before you go through the chapter. Each topic video in the Workshop averages around 10 minutes in length. So they don’t take up too much of your time and re-watching them is only going to help you master the material.

We’ve done this for each chapter and section covered in the Guidebooks.

Here’s another example, this one from chapter 600, which covers ‘Parts, Form and Content of Application’.

As you can see, this chapter includes a number of videos pulled out for you and embedded right where you need them.

We do suggest going through the complete Patent Training Workshop first and then starting in with Step II of the program. If you’d like to re-watch the videos in that second step, this new feature will make it easy for you to find what you need.

And if  you’re already part of the way through the course, you can definitely watch the videos as you get to them while working through the Guidebook or set some time aside to go through the entire Workshop full of videos.

Think of it as an additional tool to help you pass and if you’re already enrolled, you gain access to it at no extra charge.

We’re very happy to put this new training together for you and help you get on the path to a new career in patent law!

 

Creating a Better Patent Bar Review for You

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We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on the Patent Training course videos that were uploaded last week.

Altogether, 45 videos were uploaded which totals right around 6 hours. This means about half of the new Patent Training Workshop is ready to go for you.

It’s been a lot of work to put this together for you and we already have a solid course with hundreds of successes over the years. So why did we spend the time to do this?

Here’s a quick explanation …

The 3 steps to our program had been the following:

  1. Introduce you to the fundamentals of patent law
  2. Learn the details of the MPEP
  3. Take practice exam questions

After this new Patent Training Workshop is completed, the 3 steps will now be to:

  1. Gain a solid understanding of patent law
  2. Learn MPEP details and structure
  3. Take practice exam questions

We are changing step I from “learning the fundamentals of patent law” to “gaining a solid understanding of patent law”. This way when you move onto Step II you will be that much closer to mastering the material.

After running a patent bar prep program for 17 years, I realize the biggest issue isn’t getting people to pass the exam, it’s getting them to be willing to spend their time preparing for the exam.

A lot of people just won’t take the time to prepare. Not. Even. Close.  And I get it, patent law is not the most exciting thing on the planet to learn about.

I probably get more excited about it than most, but even I’d admit it’s pretty dry.

In addition, doing hard core studying isn’t the most exciting way to spend your time. There’s all kinds of other things you could be doing.

So we just want to help people get into and stay into studying. Once you’ve made some progress, then hopefully you’ll feel invested in it and keep moving forward.

So we’re moving from Step I being our Basic Patent Training course to Step I being our new Patent Training Workshop.

Instead of only getting about 4 hours of instruction on the basics of patent law, we’re planning to give you closer to 15 hours of video that covers the basics along with important details. This is only going to move you much closer to mastery once you’re done with Step I.

It will make progressing easier.

You’ll likely not be able to pass the exam just by completing Step I of the program (it’s not meant to give you everything you need to pass), but you’ll be in a much better position to keep going.

You’ll know a lot about patent law once you’ve gone through the Patent Training Workshop.

You’ll gain patent law expertise and realize you’re moving forward, ready to tackle the MPEP and practice exam questions.

We’ve got a sample video from the Patent Training Workshop for you right here. Simply click on the video below and it should start playing for you:

This video is taken from our Patent Training Workshop and covers the different patent types.

As you can see, the video includes examples where possible, frameworks to help you visual the material, key points, and resources for finding more information.

Each video is under 15 minutes and focuses in on a very specific patent law topic.

For example, there are videos covering specific types of applications like; CPA’s, nonprovisional vs provisional applications, along with videos covering the specific contents for an application like; the oath/declaration, information disclosure statements, and drawings.

Each video sticks to a single topic. We cover all the topics covered on the Patent Bar exam. In fact, there are over 80 topics in all.

If you’re already enrolled in the PES Patent Bar review, you can access the Patent Training Workshop from the Dashboard page or the main menu. If you have any trouble finding it, please contact us, we’re happy to help you out.

Also, if you sign up for a Trial Account, you can access the first hour of the Patent Training Workshop which provides you with a solid introduction to patent law.

And of course, the online version of the course is completely updated for both pre- and post- August 16th, 2018 version of the exam.  So there’s no reason not to get started today!

6 Hours of New Training Videos Uploaded Within the PES Patent Bar Review

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We’ve just uploaded slightly under 6 hours of training videos for the New Patent Training Workshop. If you have a current membership to the PES Patent Bar review, you can access all these videos for free within the client center.

You can reach the videos from the Dashboard which is the page you’re taken to as soon as you login, as shown here:

 

There is also a link under ‘Basic Patent Training’:

 

As you may have heard, we’re planning on producing 80+ new training videos for the PES Patent Bar Review course.

About 45 videos were just recently uploaded, so half are done and ready for you to view.

The new Patent Training Workshop will eventually replace our Basic Patent Training course which is a part of the PES Patent Bar review.

This new Workshop is essentially an online seminar to help you gain an understanding of patent law before you deep-dive into the MPEP (Manual of Patent Examining Procedure), the source for the questions on the Patent Bar exam.

It’s important to gain an understanding of patent law before attempting to review the MPEP or the Guidebooks to Patent Law study tool (which is another component of the PES Patent Bar review). Otherwise, you’ll wind up pretty frustrated.

Like the Basic Patent Training course, the new Patent Training Workshop is broken up into a number of different modules.

So far we have uploaded and completed the following modules:

  • Introductory module — This introduction is about an hour in length and covers the who, what, when, where, why, and how’s of patent law. It’s also available for free inside the Trial Account so make sure to sign up for one of these accounts if you haven’t already!
  • Module I: Application Types — This module covers the different application types you may choose from. It’s important to know the types available to you before you file an application.
  • Module II: Application Contents — Module II covers application contents. Learn what goes in a patent application and gain exposure to the laws and rules of the major components.
  • Module III: Application Filing — Learn about the actual filing of a patent application including fees, access, and much more.
  • Module IV: International Applications — Patent applications may be filed in the U.S. as well as internationally. Learning about international issues will help you become adept at protection not only within the U.S., but across other countries as well.

Each module contains several related videos that focus on a single topic. Each video is on the shorter side, we’re trying to keep them all under 15 minutes to help keep the overwhelm down.

The videos include visuals of the topic to help you understand the main points, objectives, examples, relevant stories, and resources for further information.

In all, we’ll have at least 80 videos like this, covering each topic you need to know to pass the Patent Bar exam and giving you detailed information, not just the basics. When we’re done, the videos alone will probably run around 12 to 15 hours of solid instruction.

The goal is that after just watching those videos, answering the quiz questions, and reviewing the glossary of terms in the Patent Training Workshop, you’ll have a solid background in patent law just like you would if you came out of a week-long lecture on patent law.

From there you can learn the details and structure of the MPEP using our valuable study tool, the Guidebooks to Patent Law. The Guidebooks summarize the chapters, sections, and even tested sub-sections of the MPEP for you.

Finally, you’ll take practice exam questions from the PatExam Engine and hopefully go onto pass the Patent Bar exam like many of our other clients do!

We’re very excited to put the Patent Training Workshop together for you. We hope to complete the workshop over the next couple of months.

If you’re interested in passing the Patent Bar and you’re not yet enrolled in the PES Patent Bar review, you’ll want learn more about it here.

There’s a 14-day money back guarantee on the course so you can try everything out without any risk to you.

The online version is the best deal and is completely updated for the post-August 16th, MPEP 08.2017 version of the exam as well as for exams taken before the latest changes take effect.

If you just want to try out the online version of the course for absolutely free, you can get a Trial Account here. There’s no credit card required and nothing is charged to access that account.

In addition, you can see the Introductory Module from within the Trial Account. It’s about 1 hour in length so get ready to start learning!

Not only can you access part of the new Patent Training Workshop from a Trial Account, but you can also try out a portion of each component of the actual course. We’ve also updated our Trial for MPEP 08.2017 which is the latest material on the exam and will start being tested on August 16th, 2018.

If you’re not already enrolled, you’ll want to get your own Trial Account today!