EDUCATION
frustration that little real progress had apparently been made. By now I was a member of Council myself, and I think that enabled me to become involved with the Group, as its Chairman. We met regularly and the course gradually began to take shape. One of the earliest tasks was to think of a name for the course, and for those who would study it. After much debate we settled on the now-familiar term “Patent Administrator”. As we headed towards the summer of 1998, the Steering Group was well prepared. We had a syllabus, several lecturers signed up, a willingness from the Patent Office to host a student visit and an outline of a timetable for the first course, which would start in September and run to March/April, including a mock exam just after Christmas and a final exam at the end. What we didn’t have was a body of students, nor any real idea about the likely uptake for the course. I recall that in several of our meetings at that time there was a real concern that all our efforts might be wasted. Might the initial scepticism from several quarters prove to be justified?
The Brown Prize 2018-19 The Brown Prize is for the candidate achieving the highest mark in the PEB Introductory Certificate in Patent Administration Examination: Helen Desmond, Withers & Rogers LLP
EXAMINATION PRIZES
With this in mind, we set up the course with a conservative 30 places. Some thought even that was ambitious. CIPA ran some early notices, and then we anxiously opened the course for applications. I think the fee for the course was something like £195. (Was that too much? Too little?) We needn’t have worried. Within hours of the application forms being released we had our first customers. Within three days all 30 places were taken, and by the end of the month we had a full course and a waiting list of over 60. In those early days, we often had to make policy as we went along, but we mostly resolved any problems quickly between us. It was a great group of people to work with and we were supported well by the staff at CIPA, notably Mick Ralph and Di Burridge. After the first year, we expanded the number of places and opened a northern edition, based in Manchester. All the available places were snapped up quickly, and we knew we were on to something. Since then the structure and content of the course, and its management, have improved enormously, as they needed to. But I recall fondly those early years and the way so many committee members, lecturers and examiners gave their time generously. Although there are too many to name here, I hope they are all as proud as I am at what was achieved. Registration for the next Patent Administrators’ Course opens on 13 May 2019 – forms will be posted online at: www.cipa.org.uk/patent-examination-board/registration
Examination prizes 2018 Following the publication of the 2018 PEB examination results in March 2018, Council awarded these prizes: The Gill Prize for the candidate achieving the highest aggregate mark in the Final Diploma examinations (FD1, FD2, FD3 and FD4): David Leverett, Dehns
The Mike Higgins Prize for the candidate achieving the highest mark in the FC4 examination Design and Copyright Law: Stephen Moore, Potter Clarkson LLP
The Strode Prize for the candidate achieving the highest mark in the FD1 examination Advanced IP Law and Practice: Imogen Sophie Parry, J A Kemp
The Ballantyne Prize for the candidate achieving the highest mark in FD4 examination Infringement and Validity: Craig Stephen Slater, Barker Brettell LLP
The Drafting Prize for the candidate achieving the highest mark in the FD2 examination Drafting of Specifications. The Drafting Prize was won by two candidates: Merlin Cooper, Barker Brettell LLP; and Nina Szamocki, Haseltine Lake LLP
The Keith Farwell Prize for the candidate achieving the highest mark in the FC5 examination Trade Mark Law: Stephen Moore, Potter Clarkson LLP
The Moss Prize for the candidate achieving the highest aggregate mark in the FC1 and FC3 examinations UK Patent Law and International Patent Law. Helen Bartlett, Potter Clarkson LLP
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The Michael Jones Prize for the candidate achieving the highest mark in the FD3 examination Amendment of Specifications: Grace Wood, Haseltine Lake LLP The Chris Gibson Prize for the candidate achieving the highest mark in the FC2 examination English Law: Jian Siang Poh, Marks & Clerk LLP
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