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Intellectual Property Law

: IPKat

EQE Implementing Regulations

By Johanna Gibson, David Pearce, Jeremy Phillips and Ilanah Simon.

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The IPKat thanks David Holland for being the first to make him aware that the eagerly-awaited implementing regulations for the European Qualifying Examinations have now been published, and are available here. Significantly, the anticipated rule about 3 and 4 year degree courses has failed to appear, with Rule 11(2) requiring only that the degree is a minimum of 3 years in duration. Other than this, there appears to the IPKat's eyes very little that is contentious, with the possible exception of the new fee structure for taking the exams.

(right: Tufty brushes up on his EPO case law for next year)

Under the new fee structure, re-taking will become progressively more expensive with each attempt after the first retake, with a 50% increase for the second retake, a doubling for the third retake and a quadrupling for the fourth and subsequent retakes. The IPKat suspects that by the third or fourth retake the candidate (or, more likely, his/her employer) might possibly start to consider whether being a patent attorney was the right career choice. Any candidates thinking of filing an appeal after being unsuccessful might think again when noting that the appeal fee will be six times the basic fee for taking the exam.

Tufty wonders what made the Supervisory Board state in Rule 29 that the new regulations do not apply to this year's EQEs. Haven't they already been held?

Full post as published by IPKat on April 01, 2009 (boomark / email).