A Christmas IP Success Story Since elves seemingly first made their appearance in Norse mythology in the 1500’s they’ve had several image changes. They have been considered to have strong magical powers, cause illness and, more recently, have taken on the role of being the ultimate pranksters. With the Christmas season fast approaching, the image of elves as Santa’s helpers …
Where is Hydrogen Now?
Was Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy Ambitious Enough? What has happened in the four years since the Australian Government endorsed the first National Hydrogen Strategy (2019)? In July 2023 the Australian Government released a discussion paper seeking submissions by August 2023. A number of these submissions are now available to view online. Perhaps the initial National Hydrogen Strategy was somewhat ambitious. …
.au Domain Names
How to get one and what to do if your domain is already taken! Domain names When choosing a new name for a business, the advice is generally “Don’t forget the trade mark and domain name!”. But which comes first? Ideally, they all come together. The business name is required for regulatory purposes, the trade mark is required for branding …
10 Ways to Create a Successful IP Strategy
When used well, intellectual property (IP) can be a powerful, wealth-generating tool for your business. Used poorly, it can be a waste of time and money, draining your resources and taking time away from more lucrative pursuits. We’ve set out tens practical ways to create a strategy that will maximise the value that you can derive from your IP. Click …
Brick Lane vs Torquay Beverage
The Pitfalls of Unregistered Trade Marks The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) affords businesses a certain level of trade mark protection. Businesses acquire that protection automatically as they undertake their ordinary operations and build a reputation. The automated nature of the protection can make it an attractive alternative to formally registering a trade mark right. The recent Federal Court case of …
Protecting the Intellectual Property of Your Font
Current Cases before the Courts Over recent years there has been some discussion concerning the intellectual property rights in fonts and typefaces. It’s not a new area of law given that the first printing press started in 1440. Originally, there were separate metal font moulds for each letter and the letters were placed manually side by side to create the …
Artificial Intelligence
When Robots, IP and Copyright Collide It seems that everywhere we look at the moment, the issue of artificial intelligence (AI) and intellectual property rights is a hot topic. In fact, such a hot topic that it was difficult to know what angle to take for an article. So, we asked one of the free chatbots this question, ”got any …
Heap Leaching
A case study in mineral processing patents In early 2022 a decision from the Australian Patent Office in Technological Resources Pty. Limited [2021] APO 52 (the Decision) got me thinking about the technology of heap leaching, and the many components or aspects of the heap leaching process that may properly be the subject of patent protection. The Decision related to …