Even though virtually all types of industry segments have one form of IP or another that they need to protect, the IT industry has been at the fore front in pushing for IP rights to be respected. This is no surprise of course because the IT industry more than most knows just where the shoe pinches when it comes to IP rights: software piracy. The fact that several countries have between 60% and 70% of all software in use being pirated implies massive loss in potential income for software houses that have put in substantial resources in the form of time and money to come up with an application that resonates with the needs of the market. IP concerns are also a major topic of discussion in other fields such as engineering, medicine, telecommunications and writing. Intellectual property rights jobs help to stop the bleeding and provide an organization with practical advice on managing their IP.
So what do you need to study if you hope to successfully apply for jobs in intellectual property rights? Well, to be best positioned for a career in IP, you must either have a technical degree or a law degree, but preferably both. A technical degree would an academic qualification in line with the industry you are working in or intend to work in. So for instance, if you intend to target intellectual property rights jobs in the IT industry, you need to at least have a first degree IT. If you want to hold the same role in an engineering firm, then you will need to hold an engineering degree. That way, you will have a better grasp of issues affecting that particular market segment. Having a degree in law is important as it equips you early on with information on what one needs to do when filing a patent, copyright or trademark and the recourse for individuals and institutions when their IP rights are infringed upon. It also opens up your knowledge on not just US IP protection laws but also ways in which you can protect IP internationally.
A law degree is important but the technical degree is probably even more vital as it moves you from having a general knowledge on IP to being an expert on IP matters of a particular market segment. This cannot be overemphasized-even though the general idea of IP applies in all industries, there are dynamics that are present within each industry that make how one approaches IP different from one type of industry to another.
Apart from education, jobs in intellectual property rights will also require you to have other types of skills. You must have good research skills as you must establish the case for a patent or copyright before you kick off the process for actually filing for the patent or copyright. You must be engaged in continuous education to not only keep tabs of latest industry trends but also changing legislation around IP as well as any attempts at infringing the IP rights of your client or employer. As an IP professional one thing you will quickly learn is that your colleagues in the organization as well as your clients in the event that you are a consultant will hold your advice in high regard. The institution would consider suspending a certain project if you advice that it might be infringing on another institution's copyrights. Making a mistake in such a judgment can cost your client or employer dearly in the form of lost opportunity.
- See Top 10 Reasons Most Law Firms Have No Idea How to Hire and Evaluate Patent Attorneys for more information.
