Sarah Barclay (Principal, AJ Park) has recently co-authored an article with Jessica Lai (Victoria University of Wellington), published by the Cambridge University Press.
The paper examines the intersection of intellectual property and gender in contemporary design law and practice. Focusing on the New Zealand Designs Act 1953, it also draws comparisons with legal frameworks in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
The authors highlight that current legal approaches tend to prioritise technical and utilitarian aspects of design - traditionally coded as masculine - while overlooking dynamic, sensory, and affective elements, which are often coded as feminine. The article looks at how this imbalance shapes both legal outcomes and design practice.
The full article is available on the Cambridge University Press website.
