Protecting intellectual property rights
Amin Abbaszadeh was awarded his doctorate in physics at the University of Gothenburg six years ago. He now works with patents and intellectual property rights for a consultancy firm on the island of Lindholmen in Gothenburg.
I’m employed at Zacco as a European patent attorney. My job combines engineering and legal expertise.
I spent three years studying patent law while working at a patent agency and then in industry. I completed the European qualifying examination last year. I’ve been working at Zacco for almost two years now.
Zacco is quite a large international company that focuses exclusively on intellectual property (IP) rights. IP can include patents for technical solutions that an inventor wants to protect. But there are also other aspects of IP such as trademarks and domain names.
My work is challenging and very stimulating. No two days are alike. I love all the smart technical solutions that the innovators present. I’m often surprised and think: ‘Wow, that’s interesting!’
I work with small clients, including many researchers, as well as large companies. Sometimes small businesses don’t know much about how the patent system works, and might not have much money either, so they need advice. I might have an interesting conversation with someone who has come up with a very cool solution or an invention they want to protect. And then we discuss what to prioritise, such as the patent application or protecting the trademark.
I have plenty of use for the education I received at the University of Gothenburg. To give the right advice, you need to actually understand what the technical innovation is about. Technologies I have worked with, knowledge from my doctoral studies, I still remember it all. And when you’re a doctoral student, you write a lot, which has been very useful to me in my job. Today I’m dealing with the Swedish Patent and Registration Office, but I mostly deal with the European Patent Office.
The language I work in is English. Life as a patent attorney involves problem-solving and lots of writing, writing, and more writing. You need to express yourself clearly and concisely and use the correct terminology so that the patent can be communicated well in the patent text. Because ultimately the patent will become an intellectual property asset for the patent holder.
As told to: Carina Eliasson
Photo: Carina Eliasson
Age: 39 år.
Lives in: Gothenburg.
Job title: European patent attorney.
Education: Doctoral studies in physics from the University of Gothenburg, courses in patent law.
Family: Married to Emma. They have a six-month-old daughter daughter, Alma.
In his spare time: Hiking in the mountains and the forest. Dancing Argentinian tango. Likes languages, writing and speaking four languages fluently. Listens to audio books a lot.