[PIUG List] Summary: requirements for becoming a professional patent searcher

Dear PIUG:

The following is a summary of responses to an inquiry that I made to the =
PIUG discussion email earlier this August. This summary is intended to pr=
ovide information to newer information professionals with an interest in =
patent information and who are
considering making patent information a major part of their career.

* Currently there are no concrete requirements, licenses or certification=
s for becoming a professional patent searcher. This may change over the n=
ext few years.
* It helps to have a degree in library/information science and a bachelor=
s or advanced degree in the technical area appropriate to the type of pat=
ent searching you're interested in (usually mechanical, electrical, or ch=
emical engineering).
* For chemical and biochemical searching, it helps to have a masters or P=
hD in the subject area, but this is not usually the case for mechanical a=
nd electrical.
* Some patent agents later become professional searchers. Their knowledge=
 of patent law is highly beneficial for helping clients evaluate patent i=
nformation. However it is not a requirement for searchers to have been ag=
ents or to know patent law.
* The information professional should enjoy reading patents, not merely t=
olerate working with them.
* Fluency in one or more of the following languages, besides English is u=
seful: German, Japanese, and Chinese; other languages may also be useful.
* Searchers should seek legal indemnity insurance for their safety, but t=
his is not required. Patent searchers being held legally liable for 'malp=
ractice' is practically unheard of (one respondent pointed out one case w=
here a searcher was sued for
overlooking a very obvious piece of prior art)

Several responses to my inquiry were to inform me of specialized training=
 programs available for those interested in becoming professional patent =
searchers. These seem to range from programs for the beginner with little=
 or no knowledge of patent
information to advanced seminars for continuing education.

This and more, including a few of the more detailed responses I received,=
 are posted on the PIUG wiki, but I don't think Tom is ready to unveil th=
e wiki yet. Once it is available for public view, I will post a link to m=
y page, and I'll start another
page listing the training opportunities mentioned above.

Thanks,

Martin Wallace, Librarian
Science & Engineering Center
Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469
207-581-1678
fax: 207-581-1653
martin.wallace_at_umit.maine.edu
http://www.library.umaine.edu/staff/wallace.htm




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Received on Mon Sep 01 2008 - 18:11:29