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Intellectual Property Law

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Vanderbilt University Law School

2021

Patents

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Promoting Patent Practitioner Diversity: Expanding Non-Jd Pathways And Removing Barriers, Christopher M. Turoski Jan 2021

Promoting Patent Practitioner Diversity: Expanding Non-Jd Pathways And Removing Barriers, Christopher M. Turoski

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The patent field suffers from a reciprocal problem: the cost of becoming a Registered Patent Attorney is high, and the diversity of the patent bar is low. The high cost of law school tuition (over $50,000 per year at some schools) prices out individuals from less privileged backgrounds, thereby decreasing the number of diverse candidates who could become Registered Patent Attorneys. The relatively low number of students with science, technology, or engineering (STE) degrees also restricts the number of diverse candidates who could become Registered Patent Attorneys. These factors contribute to a lack of diversity in the patent bar, reflecting …