August 2008
We are delighted to announce that several of our trainees have been successful in the recent European Qualifying Examinations, taken earlier this year. These exams, known informally as the EQEs, are designed to establish whether the candidates have the required skill and knowledge to represent clients before the European Patent Office (EPO).
The exams are governed, in part, by the EPO, and are considered to be tough, with candidates needing to be conversant with European patent law, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the Paris Convention, EPO Board of Appeal case law and certain national laws in so far as they apply to European patent applications and European patents. In addition, foreign language skills are required, as one of the papers contains documents (usually some prior art) in an official EPO language (English, French and German) which is different to that of the exam paper itself.
The successful candidates were:
Tim Ashton, who took and passed EQE paper C, and who is now fully UK and European qualified;
Andy Harding, who passed EQE papers A,C & D, meaning that he is now fully UK qualified;
Dan Rusby, who took and passed all the EQE papers, and who is now fully European qualified; and
Russell Sessford, who also took and passed all the EQE papers, and who is now thus fully UK and European qualified.
Congratulations, from the partners and staff, to all of them.