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Intellectual Property Lawyer
Protects inventions, creative works, trademarks, and trade secrets from unauthorized use.
Did you know?
Apple and Samsung's patent war lasted over 7 years (2011-2018) and at its peak involved more than 50 lawsuits around the world.
How subjects help
- Law: Stop someone from copying an invention, logo or song without permission.
- Computer Science: Understand how a piece of software works to tell whether its code was copied.
- Business Studies: Help a company decide which ideas to protect and how to license them to others.
- Biology: Understand a new medicine or seed variety well enough to write its patent.
A famous name
Giles Rich: Patent lawyer who helped write the US Patent Act of 1952, then served as a patent judge for 43 years.
Try it yourself: Draw and describe an invention like a patent
- List three small annoying problems at home, such as socks going missing or cables tangling, and pick one.
- Sketch an invention that solves it. Number each part and add a label with an arrow.
- Underneath, write a short description: what it is for, what each numbered part is and how they work together.
- Check it against the patent tests: is it new, is it useful, and would it not be obvious to everyone?
- Read only your words to a family member and ask them to draw it without seeing yours. Compare the drawings and fix any unclear sentences.
Patent attorneys help inventors write a detailed description and a labelled drawing, so the invention is explained clearly enough to be protected.
Adapted from United States Patent and Trademark Office: Inventor's workshop: an invention lesson plan.
Also try: Write down every word exactly.
Known for it in
USA, Germany, Japan, South Korea, UK