tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post1230678212109648279..comments2024-03-29T12:23:31.959+00:00Comments on The IPKat: Chemists and mech/elecs unite!Verónica Rodríguez Arguijohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05763207846940036921noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-49739250951198908342014-10-22T18:35:42.017+01:002014-10-22T18:35:42.017+01:00It is fairly clear that the EPO case law and pract...It is fairly clear that the EPO case law and practice has substantial differences between mech. and chem.<br /><br />Furthermore, the differences have been increasing in recent years.<br /><br />Paper C already does not reflect these differences.<br /><br />I find deeply troubling that the EQE will no longer reflect the current and future EPO practice and law, thus its role to prepare candidates 'fit to practice' - a core EPO responsibility - will be diminished. Note that this does not necessarily require the EPO carrying out the exam themselves, but ensuring the exam relevance is a core responsibility of the EPO.<br /><br />Considering that the single and only motivation for this seems to be cost-cutting, one could ask if the EPO would be better saving money from pork barrel projects and top-level perks, instead of cutting in its core responsibilities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-52440194355272596242014-10-19T12:14:45.688+01:002014-10-19T12:14:45.688+01:00Is it a wrong impression or, indeed, proposed chan...Is it a wrong impression or, indeed, proposed changes to EQE papers is a preparation to taking over UK national examination/qualification by EPO? There must be some strategic value in UK jurisdiction, I guess.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-56461092666221688642014-10-17T16:11:25.790+01:002014-10-17T16:11:25.790+01:00My dear Anonymous @ 15:43,
You do not go far enou...My dear Anonymous @ 15:43,<br /><br />You do not go far enough, as it is beyond reproach that anything electrical is subsumed into the software "Void."<br /><br />The only thing left that escapes the laws of nature/products of nature are - surprisingly - business methods, since it is only a creation purely of mankind that business exists.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-77785698223098071062014-10-17T15:43:12.881+01:002014-10-17T15:43:12.881+01:00
In a similar vein to Anonymous (Thursday, 16 Octo...<br />In a similar vein to Anonymous (Thursday, 16 October 2014 15:38:00 BST), it seems clear that as all software can be reduced to mathematics (and is therefore merely a discovery), and mechanical inventions could fairly be regarded as obvious recapitulations and recombinations of the six simple machines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_machine), then the paper should properly be concerned with electrical subject matter since nothing else is patentable...<br /><br />*extracts tongue from cheek*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-74181371480664104132014-10-17T14:56:19.136+01:002014-10-17T14:56:19.136+01:00I am fairly ambivalent about the need for separate...I am fairly ambivalent about the need for separate A and B papers. There is only one subject matter choice in the UK and in paper C and nobody seems to object! <br /><br />I think that this demonstrates the danger in relying on the EQEs, and a good reason that we should keep our UK qualification exams. Future changes could easily be made to the EQEs that take them in an undesirable direction without the agreement or control of the UK professionPeter Arrowsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447866082651549980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-32139513761633332432014-10-17T09:25:02.383+01:002014-10-17T09:25:02.383+01:00Simple solution: make everyone do both the mechani...Simple solution: make everyone do both the mechanical <i>and</i> chemical papers. There's too many attorneys anyway, so let's raise the barrier to entry ;-P<br /><br />But seriously, I agree with Anonymous at 2014-10-16 15:39:00. This type of mechanical drafting work is a good grounding regardless of your field, IMHO.<br /><br />Chem/biotech trainees shouldn't fear the mechanical drafting and amendment papers. Paper C (and P6 in the UK) are, I think, almost always mechanically themed, so it might even help them there. (full disclosure: I took the chemical EQE papers and wasn't required to pass P3/4).<br /><br />One could also argue that mechanical specialists would benefit from an understanding of the type of work involved in chemical-type drafting and prosecution. In this profession we're all generalists to one degree or another and it doesn't hurt to broaden your horizons.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-1284147044264476212014-10-16T15:39:29.671+01:002014-10-16T15:39:29.671+01:00From a strictly biased point of view, I qualified ...From a strictly biased point of view, I qualified first in Australia. Because it's a relatively small profession, it didn't have the resources to set two drafting papers, so we all did the same drafting paper, which was invariably a simple mechanical invention. So I, a chemist dealing with chemical inventions, had to learn the mysteries of things rotatably mounted and resiliently connected and the like. I passed a paper that confronted me with a valve for a pressure cooker.<br /><br />Frankly, I think being forced to do this was one of the most useful things I ever did. It gave me a versatility that was missing in those who had done only chemistry. My fellow attorneys in later employment would run away from anything that vaguely sniffed of mechanical, whereas I ran towards it. It saved the company a lot of money, because they didn't have to put the work outside. I am still "Inspector Gadget" in my present chemistry-related employment. <br /><br />In my opinion, one doesn't have to be a mechanical expert, but the broadening of horizons is no bad thing. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-37144305184643342862014-10-16T15:38:39.012+01:002014-10-16T15:38:39.012+01:00Please take this comment in the humour it is inten...Please take this comment in the humour it is intended:<br /><br />Since patent law will become universal, and the direction of that law from the US (think <i>Myriad, Prometheus, and Alice</i>) is that biochem and even chem is nothing more than natural products and application of natural law, that there need be no test for these areas as there will be nothing patent eligible in these areas.<br /><br />Onward progress.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-70667394665774016522014-10-16T15:18:05.913+01:002014-10-16T15:18:05.913+01:00RE: My understanding is that there is currently no...RE: My understanding is that there is currently nothing stopping attorneys from qualifying through the mech/elec route and then drafting chem/bio, so do we really think anything would change in practice?<br /><br /><i>Less traffic</i> created by exam committee members between Munich and other European cities?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-23528134397129116432014-10-16T15:03:29.031+01:002014-10-16T15:03:29.031+01:00Is it so clear that Papers A and B will necessaril...Is it so clear that Papers A and B will necessarily be mecanical? What if now mecanical candidates need to study case law in chemistry and biotech (at last)?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-71037164447473465482014-10-16T15:03:01.738+01:002014-10-16T15:03:01.738+01:00My understanding is that there is currently nothin...My understanding is that there is currently nothing stopping attorneys from qualifying through the mech/elec route and then drafting chem/bio, so do we really think anything would change in practice?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-56976481278618954452014-10-16T15:01:42.690+01:002014-10-16T15:01:42.690+01:00Are the pass rates for both (Elec & Mech versu...Are the pass rates for both (Elec & Mech versus Chem) of the A and B papers reported seperately? If so, what do they tell us?<br /><br />With respect to the wondering of Bart Pharma firms usually have a fair amount of mechanical work covering kit, packaging etc and this is sometimes enough to justify an attorney with a mechanical background. In the future I can see all that work being snapped up by trainees - whether there will be anyone there at the right level to monitor their work is another matter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-76989461833366670652014-10-16T14:58:34.145+01:002014-10-16T14:58:34.145+01:00RE: "With effect from 2017, a single Paper A ...RE: "With effect from 2017, a single Paper A and a single Paper B … in technical fields that are accessible to everyone. "<br /><br />In such a case, the EQE might be also open for legally only qualified candidates. The technical fields are anyway accessible to everyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-16580426842094229422014-10-16T14:51:20.256+01:002014-10-16T14:51:20.256+01:00RE: They are now opening themselves up to a situat...RE: They are now opening themselves up to a situation where chemical/biotech applications will be drafted and prosecuted by people who haven't demonstrated, by passing an exam, that they meet the basic competency requirements of the EPO. What will this do for the backlog, I wonder?<br /><br />qualified attorneys can always seek help of technical/scientific consulting with any sort of technologies.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-28760792868674532512014-10-16T14:21:22.274+01:002014-10-16T14:21:22.274+01:00I would question whether the EPO is acting in its ...I would question whether the EPO is acting in its own best interests here. Part of the purpose of the EQE is to ensure that professional representatives are of at least certain basic standard so that Examiners do not have to waste time hand-holding incompetent attorneys through the procedure.<br /><br />They are now opening themselves up to a situation where chemical/biotech applications will be drafted and prosecuted by people who haven't demonstrated, by passing an exam, that they meet the basic competency requirements of the EPO. What will this do for the backlog, I wonder?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-2409559569897071352014-10-16T14:20:51.605+01:002014-10-16T14:20:51.605+01:00@anon 13:56
That's an interesting comment - h...@anon 13:56<br /><br />That's an interesting comment - how do you mean?Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-74275404855374529752014-10-16T14:08:46.473+01:002014-10-16T14:08:46.473+01:00RE:"With effect from 2017, a single Paper A a...RE:"With effect from 2017, a single Paper A and a single Paper B … in technical fields that are accessible to everyone. "<br /><br />Quite boring news unless presented in combination with registration fee reduction AND possibility to sit exams two times per year AND free sandwiches for re-sitters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-77369292438180578312014-10-16T13:56:06.793+01:002014-10-16T13:56:06.793+01:00"...some firms insist .... this being seen as..."...some firms insist .... this being seen as a more stringent test than the corresponding EQE papers"<br /><br />Such firms drafting plenty of tin, as opposed to gold, applications from what I hear.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-60373342107898927272014-10-16T13:33:16.189+01:002014-10-16T13:33:16.189+01:00To answer the question set in the final paragraph ...To answer the question set in the final paragraph of the post, according to the IPREG consultation paper:<br /><br />"The UK drafting and amendment exams are only taken and passed by approximately half of all trainees, with the remainder relying upon the EQE exemptions."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com