Inspired - The POF blog

Designs Amendment Act 2021 enters play

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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 …
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Vale Graham Cowin

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, …
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Perplexing, polarising and a collective delusion: NFT’s are back in the spotlight again

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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 …
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High Court grants special leave to Aristocrat for patentability of computer implemented inventions

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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 …
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Appeal powers for International Registrations Designating Australia (IRDAs) considered.

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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 …
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High Court confirms only patentees can bring infringement proceedings during the extended term of a pharmaceutical patent

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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 …
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Celebrating International Women’s Day 2022

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 …
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.AU direct domains march forward

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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 …
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Wordle, Quordle & IP Law

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Admit it, you’ve already solved today’s wordle, right?! Around the world people have been buying into the Wordle phenomenon. For those not playing along at home, Wordle is a five letter word guessing game, which in itself is not a new concept. However, Wordle has attracted mass appeal due to the ability to share the …
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