STARTING POINTS
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The 2-year Dutch EQE training programme offered by EIPEF is in response to an investigation by a steering committee of the Association of Dutch patent attorneys on requirements for a centralized Dutch training for the EQE.
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Key starting points were:
The training programme is comprehensive; it covers all aspects of all exam papers in full. Preparation for both the legal papers and the substantive papers is included in the progamme. The course provides the knowledge required for passing the EQE and works on skill-building to complement on-the-job training; it does not cut corners, but equally does not elaborate on aspects that are irrelevant for the daily practice and are not decisive for passing the exam. The course has been developed by patent attorneys for patent attorneys. It is full of suggestions on how the course can be used on a day-to-day basis, where necessary highlighting the differences between daily practice and the EQE. It also makes candidates aware of their role in defending the rights of the clients even if that may be in conflict with procedural efficiency of the EPO. The tutors who develop the course have a large practical experience in private practice and/or industry and a solid knowledge of the EQE, which combination is reflected by the courses. In addition to providing legal knowledge and building skills, a key aspect is to also provide methodology/tactics on how to effectively apply the knowledge and skills in the exam. To ensure that the candidates internalize the legal knowledge, skill-building and methodology, the course is designed to stimulate self-study of participants. To this end, candidates have to answer numerous questions and practice cases as well as recent Exam papers. Some of the papers are marked in detail and personal feedback given by the tutors. |
Training material
------------------------------------------------------ A comprehensive set of training material in English is available. The material has now been used for more than 10 years and is “fully debugged” and is kept up-to-date. It includes a large set of presentations and flowcharts guiding the students through all substantive and procedural aspects of European Patent Law and the Patent Cooperation Treaty. For each Exam Paper, a set of recent EQE Papers is kept up to date with current law/interpretation and exam style. Strategies and methods have been developed on how to tackle and digest the papers at the EQE in a systematic and effective way. Comprehensive and up-to-date model solutions including detailed marking sheets and a list of key topics have been prepared for a large number of EQE Papers. The goal is to provide for at least one paper a detailed step-by-step description of applying the methodology to the paper. Where no or no adequate training material is available, new material is continuously developed based on the experience obtained during the training. In this respect, two sets of books with questions and answers for students preparing for the EQE have also been developed and are continuously updated: Basic Legal Questions for Pre-Exam and Main Exam Paper D and Main Exam Questions for Paper D. |
Quality control
------------------------------------------------------ Every aspect of the course modules is fully documented on paper. Online sessions are recorded. For each training module there are at least two key tutors who fully cover the entire module. Each tutor is involved in tutoring, but also marks at least 15 candidate papers a year to understand the complexity of the paper and check the uptake of the presented information. Changes to the course material are reviewed by all key tutors. An extensive delegation of the tutors participates in the yearly tutor meeting organized by the EPO patent academy discussing that year’s exam. An update of a course module, where required, happens:
Changes to the EPC and PCT (including changes to Guidelines, changes in case law, etc.) are actively monitored and instantly reflected in the course material. Yearly, the results of last year’s exam are discussed with EIPEF and the Program Committee and the results compared to the results of peer training courses. Where required, changes to the course are made. |