South African Patent Attorneys

May 23, 2008
Intellectual Property News and Interesting Facts

Attorneys may not call themselves patent attorneys until the have written and passed exams that are set by the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law.

Attorneys who have passed the relevant exams may be invited to become Fellows of the Institute and on doing so become bound by a code of ethics that is administered by the Council of the Institute. One of the requirements of South African patent attorneys is that they must have a science or an engineering degree as well as their law degree.

This is necessary because of the need to understand the technical drawings that must accompany any application for a patent.

Although it is not absolutely necessary to use a patent attorney when making the initial application for a provisional patent, it is a good idea to do so because of their intimate knowledge of the Patent Act and of the requirements of CIPRO (the South African patent office) when an application is made.

Patent Links

1. Gadget Invention Patent Application – Even before you take the gadget invention to another party for review and assistance, file the all important provisional patent application.
2. How to Patent Inventions – To protect your rights as an inventor you need to file patent applications for your inventions in each country, where protection is sought.
3. Protect your Invention – For public disclosure and protection of an invention, the inventor needs to apply for a patent.
4. Patent Application – Contact Request