How To Become A Patent Agent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a patent agent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Primarily, patent agents ensure the intellectual property rights of an invention are not violated. This involves monitoring new patent applications to ensure there are no similarities with existing patents. Similarly, they report violations when necessary. They negotiate and draft patent agreements and prepare documents for filing and processing. Also, they may work with both legal and product development teams to ensure proper filings. A patent agent serves as a liaison between the inventor and the office.

For this job, candidates need a bachelor's degree in physical sciences, engineering, or an area of specialty. You must pass an examination to be registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). You need two to three years of related experience. Job openings can be found in universities, corporations, individuals, or pharmaceutical companies. Essential skills are communication, organization, and analytical skills. Patent agents make an average salary of $118,051 annually. This varies between $79,000 and $176,000.

ScorePatent AgentUS Average

Salary

5.1

Avg. Salary $65,466

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 6.38%

Black or African American 5.56%

Hispanic or Latino 7.78%

Unknown 4.38%

White 75.59%

Gender

female 30.50%

male 69.50%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a patent agent

Explore patent agent education requirements

Most common patent agent degrees

Bachelor's

56.4 %

Doctorate

24.2 %

Master's

17.0 %

Start to develop specific patent agent skills

Skills	Percentages
Intellectual Property	13.50%
Patent Prosecution	10.50%
Law Firm	9.50%
Electrical Engineering	8.66%
Litigation	7.83%

Complete relevant patent agent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New patent agents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a patent agent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real patent agent resumes.

Research patent agent duties and responsibilities

Advise client in requirements to achieve and maintain critical FCPA compliance.
Represent local and multi-national clients before the USPTO and US/RO of WIPO.
Conduct detailed interactions with the USPTO regarding patent prosecution.
Formulate objections under 35 USC regulations.

Prepare your patent agent resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your patent agent resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a patent agent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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