Introduction

Intellectual Property (IP) covers, in general, many fields of intellectual property rights (IPRs), e.g. how to obtain them, how to enforce them, how to use them for business purposes, whether in technology transfer or in merger and acquisition, etc. Naturally, therefore, a broad variety of experts or professionals with many kinds of educational background and experience work in this business field, all of whom are designated herein by the term “IP professional.”

Based on the core of their respective activities, in some fields, one may find persons with a full legal background, i.e. attorneys at law. In other circumstances, such as in business transactions, one may find persons without any formal legal or even technical background, but having received their basic professional education in, e.g. tax matters, accounting, business administration or the like; in other environments, one finds technical experts, both with and without additional legal qualifications.

The author will exemplify the foregoing from his personal viewpoint as a legal practitioner, as a patent attorney, and as a lecturer, at the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) and at Bremen University, in order to give some insight into the German IP educational world. First, however, taking Germany, the home country of the author, as an example, various kinds of IP professionals active in that country will be described in more detail.

Kinds and education of IP professionals – the German experience

As in many other countries, attorneys at law in Germany are entitled to represent clients and handle matters in all legal fields, including IPRs, their prosecution, enforcement, and business use.