Department Of Trade And Industry Exam

By | December 10, 2021

Patent Examination Board

In terms of Section 21 of The Patent Act 57, 1978 (Act No.57 of 1995), the Minister shall appoint the Patent Examination Board consisting of the registrar of patents or his nominee, as the Minister may determine, who shall be chairperson, and one person nominated by the law societies, one full-time lecturer in law at a University, two persons nominated by the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law and such other persons as the Minister may appoint him/her. The said Section of the Act provides the Board with a mandate to inter alia:



  • Prescribe the syllabuses of instruction for the prescribed examination mentioned in Section 20;
  • Prescribe the minimum qualifications required from candidates for admission to such prescribed examination; and
  • Prescribe the period of academic and practical instruction that any such candidate shall undergo.

 Major responsibilities of the Board are as follows:

  • Co-operate with anybody or person (e.g. Universities, Technikons, South African Law Society and Bar Councils) in the arrangement of training, instruction or testing of candidates;
  • Appoint examiners and moderators from wide spectra of disciplines of intellectual property rights; and
  • Prescribe the syllabuses of instructions for the prescribed examination which would lead to the empowerment of previously disadvantaged people in this field.

Candidates who wish to enrol should have obtained at least a technical or scientific 3 year diploma or degree from a university or technikon, have adequate practical experience in a technical or scientific field or any qualification and experience which in the opinion of the Board, is sufficient to enable the candidate to enrol.

Certificates: please note that the first set of certificates will be issued about one month after all the June/July results for Group 1 and Group 2 have been published; the second set will be issued by 1 March of the following year.



Registration is to be completed by no later than 31st January each year. Please post OR hand-deliver your originally certified copies of qualifications to the Secretary of the Patent Examination Board at either of the addresses as it appears on the Entry Form. Examinations are conducted in June/July of each year. Please contact the Secretariat if you have not received confirmation of your enrolment by end of March.