You may have heard or seen recent media coverage regarding a decision by the Russian government that Russian companies are no longer obliged to compensate owners of patent and design rights where the owners are from ‘unfriendly countries’. Similarly, with the withdrawal of McDonalds from Russia, a fast food chain called ‘Uncle Vanya’ is poised …
>> Read more
The Designs Amendment (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property Response) Act 2021 (Act) has now come into force. In broad terms, the Act is intended to provide greater flexibility for designers during the early stages of seeking design protection. It also seeks to clarify and simplify aspects of the designs system. Some noted key features of the Act …
>> Read more
It is with great sadness that we advise that our former Managing Partner, Graham Cowin, passed away suddenly last weekend. Graham’s career commenced as an Examiner of Patents with the Australian Patents Office. He became a registered Patent Attorney in 1978 after joining Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick in 1975. Ten years later he became a partner with the firm, …
>> Read more
NFT’s are once again colliding with existing legal frameworks governing intellectual property ownership, and from the outset it appears as though NFT’s are facing an uphill battle. This once again highlights the importance of understanding the laws governing intellectual property ownership and the associated rights. Hermès Birkin vs MetaBirkins Hermès International (Hermès) has recently filed …
>> Read more
Big news for patentability of computer implemented inventions in Australia: The High Court has granted special leave to appeal the decision in The Commissioner of Patents v Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd [2021] FCAFC 202. Successful special leave applications are relatively rare, as the High Court must be satisfied the appeal involves a question of …
>> Read more
Decisions of the Registrar of Trade Marks regarding International Registrations designating Australia (IRDAs) can be appealed to the Federal Court, and the Court has the same powers in relation to IRDAs as it has for national applications. In Gen-Probe Incorporated v Beckman Coulter, Inc [2022] FCA 194, Gen-Probe had designated Australia in their IR for …
>> Read more
Pharmaceutical patent term extensions (PTE) are a highly litigated area of patent law. Australia’s longest running PTE litigation relates to a patent for the antidepressant escitalopram. The latest installment in the escitalopram saga is now available, with the High Court of Australia handing down judgement in H. Lundbeck A/S v Sandoz Pty Ltd, CNS Pharma …
>> Read more
POF is proud to support International Women’s Day 2022 to collectively help #BreakTheBias in the workplace and throughout society. We acknowledged IWD by holding a morning tea across our three offices to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. We were delighted to be joined by guest presenter, Madison Hartill-Law, in our …
>> Read more
A new Australian domain extension will be available from 24 March 2022, allowing eligible businesses to register .au ‘direct’ domain names for the first time. What is the new domain? The new domain extension is simply “.au” An example of a .au domain name is “pof.au”. A .au domain name is an opportunity to shorten …
>> Read more
Anyone familiar with patents in the life sciences space will be familiar with patent claims that use terminology such as “essentially”, “therapeutic agent” and “about”. The familiarity of such terms means that they are often recited without much consideration. However, their meaning was in issue in the recent decision in Pharmacia LLC v Juno Pharmaceuticals …
>> Read more
