New Patent and Design Reviews Currently Underway
Thursday 21 November 2013 @ 9.09 a.m. | IP & Media
The Advisory Council of Intellectual Property (ACIP) has closed submissions on two new reviews on the current Innovation Patent System and Design System respectively.
Review of the Innovation Patent System
In February 2011, the then Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research requested that ACIP investigate the effectiveness of the innovation patent system in stimulating innovation by Australian small to medium business enterprises.
An Options Paper was released in August 2013. This Paper will seek further public input on a range of possible options for reforming the innovation patent system. These options include abolition of the entire system to waiting to see how the recent legislative changes bed down.
Review of the Designs System
In recent years a variety of concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of the designs system and whether it is meeting its original policy objectives. The designs system has not been comprehensively reviewed since its commencement in 2004 with the Designs Act 2003 (Cth) to assess whether it is effective and appropriate for Australia now and in the future.
In May 2012, the then Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry requested that the ACIP investigate the effectiveness of the designs system in stimulating innovation by Australian users and the impact the designs system has on economic growth.
As part of its investigations, ACIP released an Issues paper in September 2013 to seek views from stakeholders, including users of the designs system. Public roundtable discussions were held in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in October 2013.
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