A physicist is shaping the world of patents
To work as a patent attorney, you need a technical degree. The profession mainly requires scientific expertise, as the example of Martina Nieswand shows: she studied theoretical physics before joining a large patent law firm in Eastern Switzerland.
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If companies want to commercially exploit an innovative process or product, they apply for a patent: The patent protects their invention, meaning that it may not be used by other companies (or only in return for financial compensation). Patents are indispensable for an innovation-driven economy: last year, Swiss companies registered around 1,500 patents with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) in Bern - and a further 9,000 with the European Patent Office in Munich.
Protecting property throughout Switzerland
When companies apply for patents, they generally seek the support of patent attorneys. They have the technical and legal expertise to professionally implement patent applications and related intellectual property services such as trademark applications, design applications and license agreements. Martina Nieswand works as a patent attorney at 'Hepp Wenger Ryffel AG' in Wil (Canton of St. Gallen). The company has 30 employees, including ten patent attorneys who are registered with the Swiss and European Patent Offices.
A dream job
Martina Nieswand grew up as the daughter of an engineer in Solingen (North Rhine-Westphalia). She studied physics in Düsseldorf and Constance and specialized in theoretical solid-state physics. For her doctoral thesis, she investigated order-disorder transitions on lattices. After her doctorate, Martina Nieswand completed a distance learning course in medical physics and technology at the University of Kaiserslautern before joining a medical technology company. "I came across the patents at this company," says Martina Nieswand. "I couldn't let go of the subject, so I became a patent attorney in a law firm. It's my dream job."
Martina Nieswand lives in Constance. Together with her husband, also a qualified physicist, she has three grown-up children and a granddaughter. In her free time, she sings in a choir, plays in a trombone choir, goes hiking and does water sports.
Author: Bendikt Vogel
Some personal questions for Martina Nieswand
Where would you like to live?
By the water
What mistakes are you most likely to apologise for?
The ones I make myself
Your favourite novel heroines?
Pippi Longstocking
Your favourite composer?
Johann Sebastian Bach
Your favourite pastime?
Reading and eating chocolate
Who or what would you like to be?
A good musician
What do you value most in your friends?
Spontaneity
What would be the greatest misfortune for you?
Self-inflicted
Your favourite colour?
Blue
Your favourite flower?
Ranunculus
Your favourite author?
Juli Zeh
What do you detest most?
Spitefulness
What natural gift would you like to have?
Good physical coordination
Your motto:
"Et kütt, wie et kütt" (literal translation: "it comes as it comes")
