What's in a name: patent attorney vs patent lawyer

If you are involved in technological innovations you will undoubtedly have heard of a patent attorney or a patent lawyer. But do you know the difference between them? Although these terms are often used to refer to the same experts, they are in fact two entirely different functions. Patent attorneys and patent lawyers are often mistakenly confused with each other. In this blog I will explain the difference between the two.

The difference between a patent attorney and a patent lawyer 

Let's get straight to the point: the difference between a patent attorney and a patent lawyer is that the former has a technical background and technical know-how and is likely to be an engineer, chemist, computer scientist or suchlike and a patent lawyer has a purely legal background. In short, one is an engineer and the other is a lawyer, but you need both to properly protect your innovation.

Different problems, different specialist 

When you need a patent attorney and when you need a patent lawyer will depend on the challenges you face. They each speak a different language and deal with different problems, although they are definitely the right point of contact if you are engaged in technological innovations and want to protect your invention or are already protecting it with a patent.

The patent attorney is the person you go to to discuss anything relating to the technical aspects of your invention, they’re the ones who write the application and translate the technology involved in your innovation into what you could call ‘patent language.’ To be able to do this, your patent attorney will have received legal training after completing their technical training so that they can put your technological innovation in the right legal context and complete the entire granting process.

Your patent lawyer will come into action whenever there is talk of disputes and legal proceedings. Patent lawyers are not involved in writing the patent but can play an important role in drafting non-disclosure agreements, licensing agreements, GDPR legislation and other important legal matters.. 

International network specialists  

At EP&C we have patent attorneys who will write your patent application for you, who have the relevant expertise and will support you at every stage of the granting process. At EP&C we also monitor that process in all the countries in which you file an application. We are able to do this because we have international partnerships with patent attorneys in the countries in which you seek protection.

At EP&C we do not have any patent lawyers. What we do have is a strong network of specialist law firms who we work with very closely. This enables us to bring together the right people to assist you in all aspects of intellectual property law.

If you are involved in technological innovations and want to protect your invention with a patent then be sure to get in touch with us. We will be happy to help you. If you are unsure whether you need a patent attorney or patent lawyer, please get in touch with us too! We will arrange for you to meet the right expert.