Prescribed subject groups

Prescribed subject groups for patent attorneys

The nine subject groups required by the relevant Commonwealth legislation for registration as a patent attorney are as follows:

A1 – Legal Process and A2 – Overview of Intellectual Property: Australian and New Zealand legal systems and how intellectual property rights may be protected.
B – Professional Conduct: Rights, privileges and responsibilities of a patent attorney.
C – Trade Marks Law: Principles of trade marks and the trade marks system in Australia and New Zealand.
D – Trade Marks Practice: Prosecution and maintenance of trade marks applications in Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
E – Patent Law: Principles of patents and the patent systems in Australia and New Zealand.
F – Patent Systems: Prosecution and maintenance of patent applications in Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
G – Drafting Patent Specifications: How to find relevant information and draft a specification to accompany various types of patent applications.
H – Interpretation and Validity of Patent Specifications: Interpretation of patent specifications to advise on infringement, validity and grounds of revocation and amendment.
I – Designs Law and Practice: Prosecution and maintenance of design applications in Australia, New Zealand and other countries.

Prescribed subject groups for trade marks attorneys

The successful completion of topics A, B, C and D above will enable a candidate to seek registration as a trade marks attorney in Australia.

Where to complete these subject

The above subject groups are covered in post graduate courses in intellectual property accredited by the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board, which are currently available at the following Australian tertiary institutions:

University of Melbourne (all subjects)
University of Technology, Sydney (all subjects)
University of Auckland (subjects A1, A2, B-F and I only)
Victoria University of Wellington (subject A1, A2, C, E, G-I only)

Exemptions

Exemptions from any topic may be available if a topic of similar scope and standard has been passed. For example, the topic of Legal Process (A1) may have already been completed as part of a law degree. However, practical experience alone is not sufficient for an exemption to be granted.

Find out more

The Secretary of the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board may be contacted as follows:The Secretary
Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board
PO Box 200
WODEN ACT 2606
Telephone 02 6283 2345
Facsimile 02 6285 1048
Email: secretary.ttipab@ipaustralia.gov.au
www.ttipattorney.gov.auInformation concerning any exemptions and the approval of academic qualifications can be obtained from the Secretary of the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board.