Examiners play a critical role in the intellectual property (IP) system, assessing when patent, trademark, geographical indication and industrial design applications can be granted, and upholding the requirements set by laws and international agreements. Each year, they rigorously review, research and determine more than 20 million IP applications. But many of them do far more than this.
Because much of IP examiners’ work is confidential and technical, it is sometimes misunderstood. So, to find out more about what they actually do, WIPO Magazine meets examiners from five IP offices – drawn from across four continents – to discuss their place in the system and how the role of the examiner is evolving.
The fundamental task of IP examiners is to ensure that IP rights are granted where warranted and that the law is fairly interpreted. This is a big responsibility, as Saima Kanwal, a patent examiner in Pakistan, explains: “My job is to grant due protection that is deserved and to protect the public domain by avoiding unnecessary monopolies in the market.”
For offices that carry out substantive examination of patent applications, that means using the examiner’s experience and the latest tools to make a judgment about whether the invention in the application is novel, non-obvious, and fulfils other criteria that allow it to be patented.
"We’re privileged because we’re learning about innovation before it’s published."
"We’re privileged because we’re learning about innovation before it’s published."
Primary reference: View the original document.
Examining patents, trademarks & designs: the art of IP examiners Examiners play a critical role in the intellectual property (IP) system, assessing when patent, trademark, geographical indication and industrial design applications can be granted, and upholding the requirements set by… Read the full IIPLA blog post: https://iipla.org/blog/examining-patents-trademarks-designs-the-art-of-ip-examiners