Idea of the year

Family owned Oliver Footwear have been making specialty footwear in Ballarat since 1887.

Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick has worked with Oliver for many years to make sure their intellectual property is fully protected. This has included obtaining protection not only of their brands, but also their designs and innovations.

“Traditionally we were shoemakers, and had never really given a thought to IP protection,” said Oliver Footwear Managing Director, Phillip Hughes. “POF helped us see that innovation is a major part of our investment as well as one of our competitive advantages. Our IP is an outcome of our investment in our people, so it is important we protect that.”

“I have worked with POF as long as I have been with Oliver Footwear, to protect our intellectual property. Their service is always quick and responsive, their advice practical, and importantly, it is more than compliance. Compliance you can get anywhere, but what you want is someone who adds value to the business. We get proactive, commercial advice from someone who has been to our plant and knows our business. You can do compliance work over the phone or by email, but POF come and see us, see what we do and how we do it and then translate that into the necessary protection. Innovation is a major part of our investment as well as one of our competitive advantages, POF make sure we protect that investment and defend that advantage” he said.

“A footwear mould is a major investment and we were thrilled when POF assisted us in obtaining patent protection for one mould to maximise the life of that investment” he said.

POF Partners Davin Merritt and Michael O’Donnell are responsible for looking after the needs of Oliver Footwear. This combined team ensures Phillip and Oliver Footwear have ready access to advice relating to all aspects of their IP.

Davin worked with Oliver Footwear to obtain patent protection for the company’s new footwear mould. “Patents in footwear are unusual but we managed to secure patent protection for the moulding on one product range of Oliver boots. The patent will help protect the client’s investment in innovation, maximise the unique life of the mould and their substantial investment in the technology” he said.

Michael, head of POF’s trade marks team is responsible for managing Oliver Footwear’s trade marks portfolio.

“I have been working with Oliver Footwear for more than 10 years. Working on site with Oliver has allowed me to better understand their operations and to assess first hand what needs protecting and where. Their brands reflect a major investment in innovation and we have been able to help them protect and maximise the lifetime of that investment.” said Michael.