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Criminal Justice major (no ridicule, please), and am to be a 1L this fall. I'm entertaining the idea of taking the patent bar this summer. My family works in the music business, and I'll likely find myself in this field after graduation, either working directly for the company, or in a relative capacity. I can't imagine having a registration number would hurt, but after reading the criteria for exam application (http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/file ... ED_GRB.pdf), it seems I may be out of luck. I have strong experience with IP, but the science foundation is all but non-existent. Am I totally ineligible, or are there ways around the seemingly mandatory science background? How lenient is the review? Thanks for any insight. I've just begun looking into this as an option.

You literally posted the answer to your own question. Those are the requirements. You can choose to continue your education and meet them, or you can choose not to take the patent bar.

My question was regarding the strictness of the related criteria, and if my experience working in intellectual property (music publishing, writing, composing, copyright, etc.) may afford me the opportunity to sit for the exam despite a lack of formal education. But thanks for the brevity and harsh dismissal in your response.

wait, you say music business...

Are you talking about patent or copyright?

The patent bar is mainly for prosecuting patents with the USPTO. And yes, it requires a technical background. If random criminal justice majors could sit for it, it wouldn't be a requirement, it'd be a suggestion.

Patent Bar w/o STEM for IP.... Possible?

No.

BNA wrote:My question was regarding the strictness of the related criteria, and if my experience working in intellectual property (music publishing, writing, composing, copyright, etc.) may afford me the opportunity to sit for the exam despite a lack of formal education. But thanks for the brevity and harsh dismissal in your response.

You experience is related to the copyright has nothing to do with patent.

BNA wrote:My question was regarding the strictness of the related criteria, and if my experience working in intellectual property (music publishing, writing, composing, copyright, etc.) may afford me the opportunity to sit for the exam despite a lack of formal education. But thanks for the brevity and harsh dismissal in your response.

I was in your situation. Then I went back to school ($$) to get a science degree precisely so I could practice patent law.

The patent bar is not the copyright bar, the trademark bar, or the general IP bar. It's specifically and exclusively for prosecuting patents. You seem to be confusing experience with copyright for patent experience. Sadly, your experience is irrelevant to prosecuting patents. You need a science degree (or equivalent experience as an engineer).

OP, what i think everybody's trying to tell you is that you don't need to pass the patent bar to do the type of IP work you want. you just need to get into a top school and focus your electives on IP by taking classes like copyright infringement. patent prosecution (which is the only reason you would take the patent bar) is a completely different field from your stated interests.

Thanks everyone. I was aware of the distinction between patent and copyright, but thought the patent bar may have been a door opener to intellectual property work. I definitely won't be chasing a science degree after such a soft ug, so I guess that's settled.