Public consultation has been sought on draft legislation to amend the Patents Act 1990, the Trade Marks Act 1995, the Designs Act 2003 and the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994.
The legislation will be introduced into parliament in early 2014. The amendments proposed will:
- implement the TRIPS Protocol
- allow for single trans-Tasman patent application and examination processes and a joint patent attorney regime for Australia and New Zealand
- extend the jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit Court to included Plant Breeder's Rights.
Submissions must be made by 7 February 2014. Please see IP Australia's website for more details.
Please contact us if you would like help in preparing submissions or advice regarding the impact of the proposed changes.