News & Resources

Australian patent claims held to be clear … again – 2 October 2014 Last year in our article “Construing the (almost) un-construable“, we described some (then) recent authority as continuing the Australian tradition of refusing to hold claims invalid for lack of clarity, and mentioned that the authority had been appealed. The appellant Court’s decision[1] […]

Can you be sure of your New Zealand patent filing date? – 26 September 2014 The New Zealand Patents Act 2013 took effect 13 September 2014, accompanied by the Patent Regulations 2014. Like any new legislation, some aspects of the new provisions may have unintended consequences. Here we flag one such aspect that may well […]

Lack of unity is a ground of opposition in New Zealand – 26 September 2014 The New Zealand Patents Act 2013 took effect 13 September 2014, accompanied by the Patent Regulations 2014. Like any new legislation, some aspects of the new provisions may have unintended consequences. Here we flag one such aspect that may well […]

Patentee wins through – 24 September 2014 Last year the Australian Keg Company successfully enforced its innovation patent against N&E Bowder in the Federal Court[1]. N&E Bowder appealed that decision to the Full Federal Court and that Court has also ruled in Australian Keg’s favour[2]. The patent is directed to a simple mechanical invention – […]

Can I patent my app? Update 21 December 2015 – refer to Australian computer implemented invention crashes Can and should you patent your app? Google Play and Apple’s App store have made “app” an everyday word, so it is understandably an important area for many entrepreneurs. As with any new venture, the question of how […]

3D printing presents new challenges to patent owners – 26 August 2014 3D printers intended and priced for the home user are now available. These printers in conjunction with websites such as MakerBot’s Thingiverse allow individuals to download and print physical objects in much the same way that music could be downloaded and burned to […]

Do you have a business plan? – 18 August 2014 Investing in patent, design and trade mark protection is no different to investing in other assets, in that it is important to have a plan at the outset. This should involve an assessment of the costs, the risks and the benefits. It’s important to approach […]

An update on Australian Patent Office delays – 11 August 2014 The timeline for patent examination in Australia is currently in a state of flux, although the Patent Office expects a return to normality in early 2015 as we reported here. This situation arises from an extraordinary number of requests for examination filed in anticipation […]