A patent analysis reviews information about recently filed patents and produces reports detailing industry trends and technological advancements. Anyone wishing to become a patent analyst must successfully graduate from high school and complete a college undergraduate degree program. People employed in this field typically deal with patents that are issued by firms operating within a specific industry. Consequently, most employers only consider applications from individuals who have some industry-relevant experience.
When an individual or entity creates a new product or makes a technological advancement, that discovery can be safeguarded with the filing of a patent. Thereafter, other parties cannot use the information without paying a royalty fee to the party that made the initial discovery. An analyst may have to review data pertaining to existing patents and advise company engineers and developers as to whether they can proceed with planned projects without infringing on another party's intellectual property. Copyright laws are often complex and ambiguous in which case many firms require anyone who wishes to become a patent analyst to have a broad knowledge of regional intellectual property rights. Some companies only employ licensed attorneys in these roles.
While a knowledge of law may prove useful, other firms are more concerned with ensuring that their analysts have the technical savvy to understand various types of products and devices. Therefore, anyone wishing to become a patent analyst may have to complete a college degree in a specific topic. Pharmaceutical firms tend to hire graduates who studied pharmacology or biochemistry while communications firms tend to hire people who studied information technology (IT) related degrees.
Firms involved in complex research sometimes only accept applications from individuals who have completed postgraduate masters or doctorate degree programs. Typically, these individuals must complete a degree program focusing on one element of a particular field of science, such as endocrinology, rather than a broad topic such as biology or chemistry. Analysts with industry relevant knowledge can look at existing patents and help company developers to create new technologies that are similar in nature to recent discoveries without actually violating copyright laws.
Aside from academic credentials, someone wishing to become a patent analyst may have to gain some on-the-job experience working as an assistant or copyright associate. These junior level employees assist analysts with gathering relevant data and reviewing information that details industry trends. Many companies require applicants for analyst roles to have spent a certain number of years in such a role before being able to transition into an analyst's job.