This is a full-time one-semester course, which, at present, runs from mid-September to mid-December, with exams taking place in January. The Certificate course is an intensive 13-week course designed exclusively for trainee patent and Trade Mark agents.Trainees who successfully complete this course will gain exemption from the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents (CIPA) and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA) Joint Examination Board foundation level exams. The objective of this course is to provide the student with a broad, rather than too detailed, overall perspective of the whole of intellectual property law, so that later, in practice, there is a more balanced appreciation of the wider range of matters which modern intellectual property practice involves.Course contentThere is intensive coverage of the law and practice of Patent Law, Trade Marks and Unfair Competition, Copyright and Designs Law, and Competition Law. There is an introduction to those Basic Principles of English Law, Practice and Evidence which are of especial relevance to intellectual property practitioners. The emphasis is primarily, but not exclusively, upon United Kingdom law: thus, considerable attention is paid to the European Patent Convention and to EC law, which, today, are at least as important as UK domestic law, and to other regional arrangements and international conventions which affect the activities of the UK practitioner.AssessmentThree-hour, 15-minute paper for each subject, plus additional one-hour, 45-minute CIPA and ITMA papers for exemption from the entry exams of both CIPA and ITMA Joint Examination Board foundation level exams. Closed book examinations operate for all courses.Entry requirementsMinimum 2.2 honours degree in natural or medical sciences or engineering. Graduate degrees in mathematics, computer sciences or economics will be considered, but must show that a considerable amount of their previous study covered the areas of science and technology. The course has been specifically designed, in close cooperation with the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, for the trainee agent who preferably has been in an office for six months to a year, and so has already had an opportunity of becoming familiar with some of the language, documentation and procedure of Patent and/or Trade Marks. Overseas applicants will be required to demonstrate a proficiency in the English language (IELTS).