What is the difference between a Patent Attorney and a Patent Agent?

• A patent attorney can represent you in a court of law; a patent agent cannot.
• A patent attorney is a member of the state bar, as well as being registered with the “patent bar,” while a patent agent is not a member of a state bar.
• A patent agent can do everything within the Patent and Trademark Office that a patent attorney can do.
• Either a patent attorney or a patent agent can represent you in the Patent Office, or you can represent yourself. An individual representing himself is known as a “pro se” applicant.

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