| Who
can provide advice on trade mark law in the UK? |
|
|
( RTMAs) are regulated by the Institute of Trade Mark
Attorneys, and must pass an examination set by the Institute
before they qualify for entry on the Register of Trade
Mark Attorneys kept by the Department of Trade &
Industry. Some RTMAs have law degrees; some are also
qualified as solicitors, or patent attorneys or non-practising
barristers. |
| Some firms consist
solely of RTMAs; other firms are a mixture of RTMAs,
patent attorneys and solicitors. |
|
are regulated by the Law Society. Trade mark law is
not covered in the examinations set by the Law Society.
It is a specialised area of law; few firms of solicitors
provide advice on it. |
| are regulated by the Chartered Institute
of Patent Attorneys. The examinations set by CIPA do
not cover trade mark law. |
|
are regulated by the Bar Council. They advise on trade
mark law on instructions from RTMAs, solicitors and
patent attorneys, usually in preparation for High Court
proceedings, or appeals to the High Court from decisions
of the Trade Marks Registry. |
| Correspondence with
any of the above professionals on any trade mark matter
attracts legal privilege. |
|
| The staff at the
also provides advice on trade mark law. However, because
they are not legal professionals, none of their advice
attracts legal privilege and none of the staff falls
within the regulation of any of the bodies listed above. |
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