Professional Certificate in Trade Mark Practice
About this course
What is the Professional Certificate in Trade Mark Practice (PCTMP)?
The Professional Certificate in Trade Mark Practice (“PCTMP”) is the final vocation course and assessment for trainee registered trade mark and designs attorneys. The PCTMP is a part time course and is assessed by oral and written examinations.
It is important to note that it is a “Professional Certificate” rather than a “Post Graduate Certificate”. The course has been designed to help you to develop practical skills alongside work in the office. The use of a professional certificate as a learning and assessment framework is deliberate. A Professional Certificate focuses on the development of knowledge, understanding and skills in professional and work-based practice. For example, you will see that there are assessments in Advocacy before the Registry, Searching and Clearance Reports, and Interviewing and Advising. These are the practical skills used by trade mark attorneys on a daily basis. The course seeks to develop case analysis and problem problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to evaluate evidence, arguments and assumptions in order to reach sound judgements. The ability to communicate with clients effectively, both orally and in writing, is central to the teaching and assessment strategy.
Am I ready to take the PCTMP?
This is an important question for you, and for your employer.
The IPReg Competency Framework is a useful central criteria and we recommend that you discuss the framework with your employer.
Review both the general skills set and the technical competency requirements.
- Look at the type of work you are actually doing in the office. Don’t guess.
As a guide, set aside a period of five days and look, in a critical way, at your timesheet or diary. Consider how much time you spend on administrative or procedural work or substantive legal advice, drafting, research and reporting; - How many of the IPReg technical competencies can you claim as part of your training to date?
For instance, have you completed a first draft of a specification? Have you helped to prepare a Clearance Report with a colleague? Have you drafted any witness statements for use in Registry Proceedings or coexistence agreements? Whilst your draft may not have formed much of the final version you should be able to point to an attempt, or to a review of a draft completed by a more experienced colleague. - Do I need to do more work in the office before starting the PCTMP?
If you find that you cannot claim most of the technical competencies at the IPREG Basic Level, and at least some of the competencies at the intermediate level, you may need to do some additional work before you are ready to undertake the PCTMP.
What should I do if I decide that I am not ready to take the PCTMP this year?
This is a personal choice. Review the competencies and reflect, critically, on where you are right now. It is important for you to get the most out of the course and to be able to contribute to discussions and debate. In the past, some students have suggested that they found it helpful (or would have found it helpful) to “have a break” between the Postgraduate/Foundation year and the PCTMP. In addition, if you have diagnosed a gap in your knowledge or skill base, think about the best way to address it;
- Do you need to do some additional drafting work?
- Would it help to be seconded in house (if in private practice) or to a trade mark or law firm if, you work for a brand owner?
- Could you ask for support from a mentor to help you to work through some of the IPREG Competencies?
- Do you need to do more oppositions and contentious work if you work only on filings?
- Would you find it helpful to speak with a PCTMP alumnus on an informal basis to discuss the workload and how best to prepare for the course?
Successful completion of the PCTMP is not the end of the road to qualification. You must satisfy IPReg, by way of Statutory Declaration, of your “substantial experience” in trade mark work and your character and suitability to be a be a Trade Mark and Designs Attorney.
This Certificate, designed by Nottingham Law School in conjunction with CITMA, is focused on the development of the knowledge base and professional skills required of the trade mark attorney.
The course:
- has been designed specifically for CITMA trainees and has been approved by CITMA / IPREG
- is skills-based and built upon the same course delivery techniques as the Legal Practice Course for solicitors and the Bar Professional Training Course for barristers
- is designed to use a variety of teaching techniques such as interactive lectures, role play and case study exercises and facilitated discussion groups
- is essentially practical, based on an experiential or learning by doing method of delivery
- uses an eLearning platform called NOW, to enable you to stay in touch with the Law School throughout the course
- utilises the skills of practising trade mark attorneys addition to members of Nottingham Law School faculty (a number of practising trade mark attorneys have undertaken a course called Train the Trainers to enable them to develop their skills as tutors in readiness for the course)
- uses a method of rotating assessments meaning that some assessments are taken and then banked by the student during the course
- carries university credits and is also graded, like the Nottingham Law School LPC, into Distinction, Commendation and Pass
- is delivered in a way that suits busy schedules and minimises the time spent away from the office
- recognises that you will be in private practice or working in-house during the course and seeks to enable you to apply your knowledge and skills to your own practice as soon as possible.
- The course is structured to minimise the time spent away from the office and is taught by a mix of assignments and attendance.
Find out more about the course
What you’ll study
The course has been designed to simulate, as far as possible the working lives of trade mark practitioners, working either in house or in private practice. For instance, In Module 1 Unit 1, you will meet and interview a client who wishes to search and register a trade mark; one centring on goods and one on services. You will need to investigate the situation, consider the correct searches and checks, and then advise the client on the best route to take, encompassing both practical and strategic issues. Upon receiving instructions from the client, you will then make an application to register the trade mark. In addition, you will focus on substantive issues such as:
- What makes a good trade mark?
- UK trade mark watching and searching, (including register and in use searches);
- Filing strategies (national vs. EU IPO and Madrid);
- Initial advice regarding registration (including which mark to register, where, and consideration of designs and domains).
In Module 2 you will consider the more contentious element of trade mark work, you will prosecute the various applications made in Module 1 through to registration, including dealing with absolute ground objections and oppositions or invalidations/revocations. You will focus on:
- UKIPO Practice & Procedure on absolute grounds – applying the Work Manuals;
- Grounds for refusal - responses to registry objections on absolute grounds for refusal under Trade Marks Act 1994;
- International IP Skills – Filing Options Abroad; UKIPO Practice & Procedure on opposition and revocation.
In Module 3, you will be introduced to litigation procedure and practice in the Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court (“IPEC”). You will have the opportunity to conduct a case in the IPEC during the course of the module. This is the Basic Litigation Skills Course, successful completion of which will entitle you to apply to IPREG for the Intellectual Property Litigation Certificate.
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
How you're taught
Study routes
You will study part-time over 10 months, usually beginning in October and ending in July the following year on submission of the reflective report. The course is built around intensive study units, usually running from Wednesday to Saturday, allowing work to be completed at a time that is convenient to you.
eLearning
The course does not consist solely of a limited number of study units in Nottingham. You will also make use of our eLearning facilities. NOW (NTU Online Work space) is a virtual learning portal and a resource which can be accessed from your computer at home or in the office. Course materials, recordings of lectures and assessments can be downloaded and viewed from your computer. In addition, you will be able to access library resources such as Westlaw and Kerly's. NOW can also be used to form online discussion groups. It will be possible for you to contact your personal tutor and group tutors via NOW, to obtain feedback or to ask questions.
It is hoped that NOW will enable a collegiate feeling to develop between faculty and students. You remain a student of the Law School, no matter where you are geographically. NOW provides a mechanism for you to stay in touch, both with your tutors and each other. Find out more about the NOW system on our website.
Course dates
| Module/ Unit | Dates |
|---|---|
| Introduction Session (Via MS Teams) | 13 October 2025 |
| Module 1, Unit 1 (in person) | 15 – 18 October 2025 |
| Module 1, Unit 2 (in person) | 26 – 28 November 2025 |
| Module 2, Unit 1 (in person) | 21 – 24 January 2026 |
| Module 2, Unit 2 (in person) | 4 – 6 March 2026 |
| Interviewing Assessment (Via MS Teams) | 20 March 2026 |
| Paper 1 Written Assessment (In Person) | 16 April 2026 |
| Paper 2 Written Assessment (In Person) | 17 April 2026 |
| Searching and Advising Assessment (24 Hour Take and Do) | 30 April - 1 May 2026 |
| Module 3 (In Person) | 2 – 5 June 2026 |
| Advocacy assessment (Via MS Teams) | 19 June 2026 |
| Paper 3 Written Assessment (In Person) | 26 June 2026 |
Careers and employability
This course does not currently offer placements.
Course approved by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg).
Campus and facilities
Entry requirements
UK students
Applicants should normally have either:
- successfully undertaken a course of study in trade mark law approved for the purpose by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) and have employment in trade mark related practice (defined as a trademark attorney's office, solicitor's office, barristers' chambers, or the relevant department of a company, public authority or other public sector organisation, or a professional body)
- in the opinion of the programme leader and of IPReg, have equivalent qualifications or experience that will equip them to complete the course successfully.
Additional requirements for UK students
If you need more help or information, please get in touch through our enquiry form.
International students
Applicants should normally have either:
- successfully undertaken a course of study in trade mark law approved for the purpose by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) and have employment in trade mark related practice (defined as a trademark attorney's office, solicitor's office, barristers' chambers, or the relevant department of a company, public authority or other public sector organisation, or a professional body)
- in the opinion of the programme leader and of IPReg, have equivalent qualifications or experience that will equip them to complete the course successfully.
Additional requirements for international students
English language entry requirements
If English is not your first language you need to show us that your language skills are strong enough for intensive academic study. We usually ask for an IELTS test and we accept some alternative English language tests.
For a list of our language requirements please visit our English language page.
If you need to do a pre-sessional English language course to meet the English requirements please visit our pre-sessional English course page.
Help and support
If you have any questions about your qualifications or about making an application to the University please contact us for advice.
