Summary

The article analyses the current situation of and possible developments in the legal regulation of the status of Estonian patent attorneys as representatives of a private profession. The author, acting himself as a patent attorney, supports the position that it is necessary to draft and adopt a specific Act legalising the profession of patent attorneys and providing for the obligatory registration of attorneys, establishing strict criteria for their professional qualifications and restrictions necessary for determining the areas of activity of patent attorneys’ firms, and introducing the respective internationally recognised principles in this field in the Estonian legislation. The Act should also include transitional provisions providing a mechanism for the evaluation of the professional level of registered patent attorneys prior to the enactment of the proposed Act.