News

21st Sep 2021

The intellectual proper-tea of teabags: Necessi-tea really is the mother of invention

How do you make a cup of tea?  Pot or cup...or mug? Loose leaves or a teabag?  Milk first or last?  Don't worry, this article is not about any...

How do you make a cup of tea?  Pot or cup...or mug? Loose leaves or a teabag?  Milk first...

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26th Aug 2021

Dead or Alive: Statuses, Patent Expiries and Kind Codes – Part 3

I'm exploring statuses, patent expiries and kind codes in a three part series of articles.  The first article on statuses can be found here, and the second article on...

I'm exploring statuses, patent expiries and kind codes in a three part series of articles.  The first article on...

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15th Jul 2021

Dead or Alive: Statuses, Patent Expiries and Kind Codes – Part 2

I'm exploring statuses, patent expiries and kind codes in a three part series of articles.  The first article on statuses can be found here. This second instalment looks at patent...

I'm exploring statuses, patent expiries and kind codes in a three part series of articles.  The first article on...

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13th Jul 2021

Double patenting in New Zealand – you possibly didn’t need an oracle to see this one coming

Double patenting has been seen as a significant issue in New Zealand patent law ever since the introduction of the Patents Act 2013 – and with it, the removal...

Double patenting has been seen as a significant issue in New Zealand patent law ever since the introduction of...

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23rd Jun 2021

Abolition of Australia’s innovation patent – 25 August 2021 is the magic date – here’s what you need to know…

The abolition of Australia’s second-tier “innovation patent” system has been well publicised and comes with a “magic date” of 25 August 2021.  But what does “abolition” really mean, and...

The abolition of Australia’s second-tier “innovation patent” system has been well publicised and comes with a “magic date” of...

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9th Jun 2021

Dead or Alive: Statuses, Patent Expiries and Kind Codes – Part 1

You've found a patent of interest but how do you know if it's dead or alive, and if alive, when it expires, and what exactly do those kind codes...

You've found a patent of interest but how do you know if it's dead or alive, and if alive,...

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6th Jan 2021

Australian Government looks to bring defence export controls and patents into focus (again)

Defence export controls (limitations on exporting “sensitive” Australian technologies) and intellectual property (especially patents) have been linked for the best part of a decade.  A 2018 review predicated on...

Defence export controls (limitations on exporting “sensitive” Australian technologies) and intellectual property (especially patents) have been linked for the...

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22nd Dec 2020

Looking for a patent database? Need a little Inspire-ation?

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) have been adding a range of useful tools for many aspects of intellectual property for a while now, including searching databases for patents,...

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) have been adding a range of useful tools for many aspects of intellectual...

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29th Oct 2020

Courtrooms and the America’s Cup – patent infringement set to be the latest out-of-water battle

The America’s Cup (the “Auld Mug”) is the world’s oldest sailing trophy and enjoys a storied history of fierce competition – both on and off the water.  Whereas legal...

The America’s Cup (the “Auld Mug”) is the world’s oldest sailing trophy and enjoys a storied history of fierce...

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21st Sep 2020

Tricks of the Trade: Searching the unsearchable

Patent searching is already black magic, wrapped in a puzzle, inside an enigma, passing through a black box, and thinking about how something could be unsearchable is an extra...

Patent searching is already black magic, wrapped in a puzzle, inside an enigma, passing through a black box, and...

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27th Aug 2020

A practical guide: Commonly asked questions during patent prosecution in Australia and New Zealand

Patent attorneys in Australia and New Zealand, so-called Trans-Tasman patent attorneys, are registered to practise under a joint registration regime.  However, the Trans-Tasman patent laws are far from harmonized....

Patent attorneys in Australia and New Zealand, so-called Trans-Tasman patent attorneys, are registered to practise under a joint registration...

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25th Aug 2020

Tricks of the Trade: There’s a word for that (and usually many more)

When Winston Churchill said, “broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all”, he (most likely) wasn’t speaking about the words found in...

When Winston Churchill said, “broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all”,...

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