The Canadian Patent Examiner Qualification Program

Abstract

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is the Government of Canada organization responsible for granting patent rights.From 2001 to 2011, the number of patent examiners working at CIPO increased more than three-fold. To efficiently and uniformly train this large influx of new employees, the Patent Examiner Qualification Program was developed and implemented in 2003, and improved upon during the last decade.This paper presents a synopsis of the two-year training program, which combines classroom training with on-the-job training where trainees work on patent applications while being coached by a senior patent examiner. At the end of the second year, trainees who meet all the requirements are promoted to the working level.CIPO's experience may be useful for other intellectual property offices, and IP sections of other organizations, developing a training program for their own examiners or other IP staff.