Proposed changes to the Plant Breeder’s Rights system

Background In October 2017, IP Australia released an Exposure Draft of the Intellectual Property Laws Amendment (Productivity Commission Response Part 1 and Other Measures) Bill (the draft Bill). The draft Bill follows a public inquiry by the Productivity Commission into Australia’s IP framework and seeks to implement a number of the Commission’s recommendations, together with …
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Federal Court casts white LED light on the meaning of ‘contains’

The infringement case in Nichia Corporation v Arrow Electronics Australia Pty Ltd (No. 4) [2017] FCA 864 turned on the meaning of ‘contains’ and illustrates the importance of such terms in claim construction under Australian practice. Background Nichia is the patentee of Patent No. 720234 filed on 29 July 1997 in relation to a light emitting …
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Innovation patent system to be abolished: results of the Productivity Commission inquiry

The Australian Government recently released its response to the Productivity Commission’s (PC) inquiry into Australia’s intellectual property (IP) system. These recommendations include the significant change of abolishing Australia’s innovation patent system, further raising of the bar on the inventive step threshold for patents, and the replacement of existing exceptions to copyright infringement. Abolishment of the …
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2017 APAA Annual Council Meeting

This week, Auckland, New Zealand, played host to the annual council meeting of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA). The principal objective of APAA is to promote and enhance intellectual property protection throughout the Asia region. The association includes approximately 2,400 members across 20 countries such as Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore and …
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Proud sponsor of the Graeme Clark Oration

Yesterday marked the 2017 Graeme Clark Oration, of which POF is very proud to be a long-time sponsor. The Oration informs the community about scientific advances in health and medical research, delivered by recognised global leaders in their field. This year the Oration was delivered by Dr Harold Varmus and focussed on ’Transitions in Cancer …
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POF hosts AIRG roundtable discussion on innovation in the 21st century

This week, POF hosted the latest roundtable discussion organised by the Australian Innovation Research Group (AIRG). AIRG supports its members by creating opportunities for collaboration and facilitating peer-to-peer mentoring, allowing members to learn from companies similar and different to their own. The series of roundtable discussions are think tanks that provide an opportunity to discuss …
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IP Australia opens public consultation on proposed law changes

IP Australia have opened public consultation on five IP policy matters. Four of these policy matters form part of IP Australia’s proposed implementation of the Government’s response to the Productivity Commission’s 2016 Report on Intellectual Property Arrangements.  The remaining paper relates to a trade marks issue. IP Australia is proposing to introduce the legislative changes …
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Congratulations to Helen Kavadias for being listed as an outstanding IP strategist in the IAM Strategy 300

Congratulations to our very own Helen Kavadias, Senior Associate in our Sydney office, for being listed as an outstanding IP strategist in IAM Strategy 300 – The World’s Leading IP Strategists. The survey identifies individuals around the globe who are leading the way in the development and implementation of strategies that maximise the value of …
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