Laine IP’s Eija Kurvinen was successfull in the new EPAC-examination

The new, Europe-wide patent paralegal examination is a proof of knowledge gained by long experience and hard studying.

Eija Kurvinen, a patent paralegal at Laine IP, was successful in the first European patent administration certification-examination (EPAC-examination), held end of last year. The aim of the examination is to test the knowledge of the candidates on formalities relating to European Patent Convention (EPC), Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the Paris Convention as well as national laws applying to European patents and patent applications.

A similar examination did not previously exist on the European level, and presumably the inspiration of the examination has been national examinations in some countries, such as Germany. The preparation time was rather short, as the examination was first announced in summer, examination materials were available in September and first model questions in October.

The examination consists of two parts, the first being a set of multiple-choice questions and the second a set of open questions. The second part is corrected only if sufficient points are obtained in the first part.

The examination is a demanding one, both because of the level of the questions and the time pressure. Some questions also concerned situations which paralegals do not usually encounter in the daily work. The questions have also been suggested as possible training material for candidates to the European Qualifying Examination (EQE), which accurately describes their level of difficulty.

Laine IP warmly congratulates Eija on this great achievement and courage to participate in the first-ever examination! We are proud that you are part of our team.