Search twice, launch once

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The importance of conducting clearance searches prior to launching a new brand or product line has again been highlighted by the decision in The Agency v H.A.S Real Estate. Ultimately the court found that HAS had not infringed The Agency’s trade marks due to a lack of sufficient similarity between the signs as registered and …
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Pisco trade mark attempt turns sour

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The Republic of Peru has appealed a decision from the Australian Trade Marks Office to refuse to grant the country trade mark rights to the word pisco. The Peruvians sought to register the sign PISCO in Australia by filing an application in 2019.  The trade mark examiner refused to accept the mark for registration, so …
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The Australian battle of the Katies

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American popstar Katy Perry recently lost a trade mark infringement dispute[1] filed in 2019 by Sydney-based fashion designer Katie Taylor. The battle of the Katies started more than 15 years ago: Australian Katie Taylor, born Katie Jane Perry (The Designer) started designing and selling clothes under the brand KATIE PERRY in 2007 and filed a trade …
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Raising the bar, and the matter of support

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Following the 2012 Raising the Bar reforms, Australia’s Patents Act requires that patent claims are supported by matter disclosed in the specification. This means that the description must enable a skilled person to perform the invention across the full breadth of the claim without undue burden, and the claim scope must be commensurate with the …
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POF achieves top ranking for patent prosecution in IAM Patent 1000 2023

We are pleased to announce that POF achieved a Tier 1 (Gold) Ranking in the 2023 IAM Patent 1000, citing our tailored and commercially focussed IP services and our Asia Direct filing model as stand-out features of the firm. Many of our attorneys were also individually recognised for their outstanding work. POF Managing Principal Ross McFarlane once again …
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