Patent Office Seeks Comments on Patent Bar Qualifications

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is asking for public comment as it considers changing the criteria for who is eligible to take the patent bar exam, a test required to practice as a patent agent or patent attorney.

The request for comments, set to be published Tuesday in the Federal Register, seeks public views on a proposal that would expand the types of college degrees that automatically qualify someone to sit for the exam.

“The goal of the proposed updates is to ensure fairness in the application process while also ensuring that patent practitioners who represent inventors are ...