It has recently come to our attention that the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) has mistakenly issued misleading status notifications to WIPO regarding a number of New Zealand trade marks, by incorrectly indicating that the New Zealand designation for the affected International Registrations (“IRNZ”) has been refused or accepted. Consequently, the status of some IRNZ’s is incorrectly displayed …
Timely Reminder to Update Trade Mark Registration When Making a Brand Refresh
Periodic brand refreshes offer several benefits for a business such as staying relevant, distinguishing your business from your competitors, realignment with new or changing values, products or services and reconnecting with customers. Every successful business will need to refresh their brand from time to time. Usually, the essential ‘look’ of the brand is retained, with minor alterations, so that the …
IP Australia to Change Their Official Fees
The Australian Patent Office (IP Australia) will soon implement changes to their fee structure. To assist with an understanding of these changes, we provide a brief summary of the changes and include some proactive recommendations to avoid some significant cost increases. As of 1 October 2020, IP Australia will significantly increase some of their Patent, Trade Mark, Design and Plant …
Proposed Changes to Australia’s Designs Law
Designs Amendment (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property Response) Bill 2020 The designs system in Australia, regulated by the Designs Act 2003, protects the visual features of a product and a registered design can include the shape, configuration, pattern and ornamentation which, when applied to a product, give it a unique appearance. In recent years, a variety of concerns were raised …
Australia’s Full Federal Court Considers Infringement of Swiss-Style Claims
Mylan Health Pty Ltd V Sun Pharma Anz Pty Ltd [2020] FCAFC 116 Mylan v Sun Pharma is the latest word from the Full Federal Court on the infringement of Swiss-style claims, novelty, inventive step and fair basis. Before the Full Court was three patents relating to fenofibrate, a drug used to treat cholesterol and diabetic retinopathy in patients with …
Opposition Hearings in Social Isolation – The Show Must Go on
Wrays is pleased to advise of its recent success in defending one of its client’s patent applications in opposition proceedings before the Australian Patent Office (Desaln8 Pty ltd v Crisalis International Pty Ltd [2020] APO 30 (24 June 2020)). The opposition hearing was notable because it was held just as COVID-19 lockdown measures were being implemented. The hearing was initially …
Myanmar – Witnessing the Birth of Trade Mark Law
A good Hong Kong colleague said to me recently, “How often do you get to witness the birth of trade mark law in a country? Not just new but original?” Myanmar, previously called Burma, is such a country. Myanmar is the largest country in mainland South-East Asia. It is bordered by Bangladesh, India, China, Laos, Thailand, and coastally, by the Andaman …
Making the Most of Meetings With Your IP Expert
Want to get the most out of your next meeting with an IP professional? In this webinar, Adrian Huber and Bindhu Holavanahalli present some tips on what to think about and how to get organised before your meeting, and also answer some common IP questions that often arise during our initial meetings with clients. The following was recorded live as …
Essentials for your IP Toolkit
As more and more business owners and managers recognise that IP is an asset that needs to be suitably managed and protected, just like any other business asset, we are increasingly advising our clients on ways to adopt a sound IP management framework to help safeguard and maximise business opportunities from IP assets. This invariably necessitates the adoption of various …
Effectively Manage your IP Costs
When cash flow is limited, it is tempting to slash expenditure across the board, including reducing or even ceasing expenditure on intellectual property. But intentionally deciding to jettison IP rights may be misguided and short-sighted. Loss of a business’ IP rights may well be worse for long term business value than losing tangible assets, as tangible assets can be re-purchased. …