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Patent Attorney Axel H Horns' Blog on Intellectual Property Law.

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Monday, November 22, 2004

Patent Attorneys to challenge Scottish Executive on Court Ban.

The question of representation of clients before patent courts by patent professionals other than general lawyers is not only debated

with regard to the EU but also in Scotland:

"THE industry body representing patent attorneys is renewing efforts to persuade the Scottish Executive to sweep away the ban on people other than solicitors and advocates being paid to represent clients in Scottish courts.

David Moreland, a patent and trademark attorney at Marks & Clerk in Glasgow, is preparing a submission on the behalf of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents demanding that attorneys be granted the same rights of audience they already enjoy south of the border. The institute also wants the executive to introduce a Scottish equivalent of the Patents County Court system, which has no equivalent in Scotland. [...]"