The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement was finally concluded on 5 October, 2015 with the full text of the Agreement made public on 5 November. The Agreement is yet to be ratified by signatory countries, although at this stage there is nothing to suggest that ratification will not take place. Signatories to the TPP include …
>> Read more
The Federal Government’s innovation statement, released on 7 December 2015, has announced Government-funded grants that will back business investments and projects. The funding programs will assist in areas of Research and Development, Business Improvement and Growth, Accelerated Commercialisation Activities and Marketing and Commercialisation. One particular funding program that may be of interest to POF’s Victorian-based …
>> Read more
The Apple App store has over a million apps. Tens of thousands of these apps relate to health, and many are downloadable for a small fee. A question we are often asked is, “how do you protect your app against competitors?”. Should you bother? In deciding whether or not it’s worth pursuing IP protection, thought …
>> Read more
In the recent case AstraZeneca AB v Apotex Pty Ltd & Ors [2015] HCA 30, the High Court unanimously found that AstraZeneca’s patent for its cholesterol lowering drug rosuvastatin lacked inventive step and was therefore invalid. AstraZeneca’s patent was directed at low dosage levels of rosuvastatin, a commercially successful product marketed under the brand Crestor®. …
>> Read more
Trade mark rights are granted on a national basis, making it necessary to register in each country or region in which protection is required. In light of separate registrations being necessary in each country of interest, filing and maintenance costs can escalate quickly if there are a number of jurisdictions where protection is sought. In …
>> Read more
From the hand of nature to the hand of man Humans have been tinkering with the genetic make-up of plants and animals for almost 10,000 years through selective breeding. Throughout this period, humans have selected plants and animals that have spontaneously mutated to possess desirable features. This has turned the Wolf into Great Danes and …
>> Read more
One of the joys of being a lawyer is that your friends ask your advice on every legal issue from parking tickets to extradition, regardless of your area of practice. Recently a friend asked me whether he should sign an agreement with his personal trainer, which excluded liability for everything I could think of and …
>> Read more
On 7 October 2015, the High Court of Australia unanimously allowed Ms D’Arcy’s appeal from the Full Federal Court decision in D’Arcy v Myriad Genetics Inc (2014) 224 FCR 479 (‘D’Arcy’), holding that Myriad’s claims to isolated nucleic acids were not patentable subject matter. The decision relates to Australian Patent 686004, which includes claims to …
>> Read more
The Federal Court has dismissed the latest attempt by the makers of the film Dallas Buyers Club to pursue copyright infringement claims against internet subscribers. Initially, in Dallas Buyers Club LLC v iiNET Limited [2015] FCA 317, the Court made a preliminary discovery order requiring various Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to turn over details …
>> Read more
We have all heard the theory that it is possible to connect any two people in the world in only six steps. A variant of this resulted from watching an old BBC serial about Elizabeth I in the week the High Court handed down its decision in the Myriad case. 1. Queen Elizabeth I’s “favourite” …
>> Read more
