CPATA To Revise Patent And Trademark Agent Classes

Beginning next spring, the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents (CPATA) will revise certain features of one of its licensee classes and introduce a new inactive class.

Currently, CPATA has three classes of agents: Class 1 Active, Class 2 restricted, and Class 3 agent-in-training. The original intent of the Class 2 restricted license was to allow agents temporarily or permanently leaving practice to maintain a license. However, CPATA found during a recent licensee survey that certain Class 2 licensees still engaged in IP practice. This presents a risk to the public in that Class 2 licensees are not covered by insurance and have no continuing professional development requirements.