The 28th Annual SEAANZ Conference wraps up today in Melbourne. The conference was created to engage, inform and evolve businesses in the small to medium enterprise (SME) space. A snapshot of the conference themes included strategic management, commercialisation, product development, e-commerce and more. As advocates for fostering innovation and supporting SMEs, a partnership with SEAANZ was a ideal fit for Wrays. Check in on our blog …
The Batmobile, Kryptonite and Duff Beer: brand development and famous ancillary indicia
Using established ancillary indicia – things associated with a particular character, laden with goodwill, is a clever way of projecting a brand message. The hard work has already been done, after all: an audience recognises the brand immediately, and does not need to be taught what the brand means. A short list of ancillary indicia laden with goodwill might include: …
Collaborative intellectual property pooling: Neuron completes flight test campaign in France
The French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and Dassault Aviation have successfully completed the flight test campaign for the Neuron unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) in Istres, France. The demonstration consisted of a series of flights along with presentation of the UCAV’s reliability and efficiency. According to Dassault’s press release, the Neuron managed to show exceptional availability and reliability during …
Start-ups: create a patent culture
Author: Paula N Chavez Congratulations to Alan Noble on the AFR coverage of StartupAUS today 21 April 2015, discussing its second Crossroads report which includes regulatory recommendations to bolster the Australia’s nascent start-up community. See here for more information. A topic typically overlooked in the start-up conversation, particularly in Australia, however, is that by creating a patent portfolio, a start-up can increase …
Surface miners: how obvious is obvious enough?
Author: Peter Caporn Do you routinely search patent specifications? If not, the recent decision in Vermeer Manufacturing Company v Wirtgen GmbH [2015] APO 14 suggests that you should. Surface miners, such as those employed in the resurfacing of roads and in the mining of coal and friable iron ores, have been the subject of a recent decision of a Delegate …
Inside the China free trade deal
Author: Peter Caporn I recently attended a breakfast event presented by WestBusiness Events and Curtin University, which was aimed at providing insight into doing business with China and how the recent FTA might improve things. Any discussion regarding business with China is bound to have a resources flavour, and this event didn’t disappoint, with Dr David Sun of Sinosteel Australia …
The novelty question – where do we draw the line (or the blind)?
Author: Peter Caporn Prior public display and offer for sale not sufficient to destroy novelty A recent appeal decision from the full Federal Court has found that providing a product for sale in Australia that embodied an invention did not make that invention publicly available in Australia in the absence of evidence that anyone wanted to examine the product to …
Missing the mark: do Australian businesses recognise the value in patent protection?
Authors: Dr Gillian Kaggwa & Peter Caporn Abstract: Numerous industries across the Australian economy rely on the adequate enforcement of their patents, trademarks and copyright as evidenced by the recent increase in IP filings. However, despite the increase in filings, Australia is seeing relatively low returns in spite of the strong investment in innovation. Low innovation efficiency is clearly not …
Nanotechnology – a modern model of patent strategy?
Authors: Tyson Keed & Peter Caporn Few technologies in the modern era have had such broad and far reaching applications than that of nanotechnology. This has also led to the field of nanotechnology stretching the boundaries of patent law. A new technology is typically limited to a specific field and has only incremental growth over time, this in turn leads …
ExxonMobil’s design, method for a processing plant not patentable?
Author: Peter Caporn, Principal A recent decision from the Australian Patent Office has held that ExxonMobil’s otherwise novel and inventive method of designing an LNG plant is nothing more than a scheme and is consequently unpatentable. Woodside opposed the grant of the Australian Patent Application after it had been accepted by the Patent Office. ExxonMobil overcame several grounds of opposition …