On March 2, 2023, CPATA’s Board of Directors adopted the new competency profiles for patent agents and trademark agents, following the profiles’ approval by the Registration committee at the end of 2022. These profiles describe the knowledge and skills entry-level professionals need to have in order to provide competent services to the public.
The new competency profiles were developed through a rigorous process to ensure that they reflect the knowledge and skills that IP agents require to serve the public in today’s complex and globalized intellectual property regimes. CPATA engaged a working group to identify key skills from the past 6 years of exams to create draft competency profiles, worked with subject matter experts to conduct research into today’s IP agent skills and knowledge sets and surveyed licensees to further refine them. The results are new competency profiles that reflect IP practice today. The profiles will be reviewed on a regular basis and updated as necessary as IP agent knowledge and skills evolve over time.
With the new competency profiles in place, CPATA is in progress with redeveloping the qualifying examinations for 2024 to align with the profiles and to reflect valid, reliable and defensible best practices for administering high-stakes examinations.
The establishment of new competency profiles and exams that test against these competencies will ensure that all new and current licensees have the skills necessary to competently and ethically serve their clients. These competencies and exam processes provide transparency by clearly setting the expectations for those considering joining the IP profession regarding what skills they would need to acquire.
Technical Competency Profiles for Patent Agents and Trademark Agents
If you have questions, please contact registration-
