A strong partnership between two of POF’s Adelaide clients, UniSA and SMR Automotive, has been further validated with one of their joint technical development teams being recently awarded the inaugural Prime Minister’s New Innovator Prize. We congratulate Dr Colin Hall of UniSA, who was the lead inventor for a ground-breaking external vehicle mirror. Since its …
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‘Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.’ KushandWizdom (Tumblr.com) The above quote was not originally intended to relate to the protection of intellectual property, but it is particularly applicable in relation to patent law. The protection afforded by any patent is determined by the wording of the claims and how …
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In the recent Patent Office decision of Reflex Instruments Asia Pacific Pty Ltd v Minnovare Limited [2016] APO 68, the Delegate found that an administrative error leading to missing the deadline for filing evidence in answer in an innovation patent opposition did not constitute exceptional circumstances that warranted an extension of time. Regulation 5.9 (b) …
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POF patent attorney, Dr Annabella Newton, was recently on the judging panel in the first round of the Women in Science Parkville Precinct (WiSPP) Perfect Pitch Competition. In collaboration with NAB, WiSPP launched the competition as an opportunity for scientists to deliver three minute scientific research pitches in a “shark-tank” contest. Annabella contributed to the …
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It has long been the practice of some companies to data mine records of the Australian and international patent, trade mark and design registers, and offer to list or publish that information for a fee. IP Australia has tried to prevent consumers from being duped with warning letters and has created a page on their website …
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The fashion industry is rife with stories of knock-offs, copycats and replicas. In the lead up to the Spring Racing Carnival in Victoria, milliners have publicly slammed fast fashion stores for ripping off their bespoke designs. Under Australia’s current copyright and design laws, there are some avenues available to designers to protect their designs. However, …
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Cryptographic trainspotters will be well aware of bitcoin and the underlying blockchain technology which was developed a number of years ago by a mysterious man named Satoshi Nakamoto (although many believe it is the work of Australian Craig Wright). In the last six months, EITC Holdings, a company believed to be associated with Craig Wright, has filed over 50 …
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In December 2015, we reported on IP Australia’s announcement that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the European patent office (EPO) to increase bilateral cooperation between the two offices. One of the areas for proposed collaboration was the introduction of a bilateral patent prosecution highway (PPH) between the Australian patent office (APO) …
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In the recent case of Qantas v Edwards1, Yates J upheld a Trade Marks Office decision to allow registration of Luke Edwards’ kangaroo t-shirt logo (Figure 1), in respect of clothing, footwear and headwear, finding that Qantas was unable to make out either of its grounds of opposition based on deceptive similarity (section 44) or …
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The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) has overturned a decision of the Commissioner of Patents and found that Swiss-style claims can form the basis for a patent term extension when the production of the pharmaceutical substance involves the use of recombinant DNA technology. The decision was made by the deputy president of the AAT in AbbVie …
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