By Christopher P. Singer --
In an April 7, 2008 press release, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced a new two year pilot program that will allow a limited number of law students to practice before the Patent Office. The program will include opportunities in both patent and trademark branches of the Office, and is intended to give students a real world experience in intellectual property law. According to the release, a student in the patent section of the program should expect to gain experience with common prosecution-related tasks before the Office, such as drafting and filing a patent application, drafting and filing a response to an Office action, or drafting and filing a brief in an appeal to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. Similarly, a student in the trademark section should expect to draft and file an application, a response to an Office action, or an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
The Patent Office plans to choose three to five law schools as participants in the program, based on information provided in an application (available here). Students applying to participate in this program must meet certain legal and moral qualifications, and those applying for the patent program must have the necessary scientific or technical background required to sit for the patent bar exam.
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