Customer service charter

Two people shaking hands.

We are committed to providing our customers with excellent customer service and high quality products and services. Our commitments are outlined in our customer service charter. We review our charter regularly and measure our compliance each quarter. Our customer service principles are backed up by service level commitments which we measure.

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Director General Statement

We are committed to our purpose which is:

To create an effective, efficient, consistent and accessible global intellectual property system that promotes innovation, investment and international competitiveness for the benefit of all Australians.

Philip Noonan
Director General
IP Australia

Our vision

Our vision is to deliver robust IP rights efficiently.

Our mission

We achieve our vision through our mission to:

Continue to strive for the highest possible standard of quality in our work
Manage operations and stakeholder relationships to ensure we have an excellent reputation
Offer timely and efficient services which are consistent with the needs of IP applicants and the community as a whole
Enable Australians to derive maximum value from the IP system through effective education/awareness and information services
Foster Australian innovation by shaping the development of the IP system both at home and abroad

Privacy

The Privacy Act 1988 (the Privacy Act), and in particular the eleven Information Privacy Principles in Section 14 of that Act, regulates how federal public sector agencies can collect, use, disclose and store personal information, and how you can access and correct that information.

We administer all four IP rights Acts.

We are authorised and required to collect and publish information about IP rights and their applicants and owners. This publication is permitted under the Privacy Act. Our privacy policy shows how we comply with the Privacy Act.

We may release information as required by the Freedom Of Information Act (the FOI Act). The FOI Act requires agencies to make available detailed information including documents they hold and this information can be found on our Freedom of Information page. The Act identifies certain types of documents which may not be released (called exempt documents). These types of documents are those which the Parliament believes should normally be kept confidential to protect essential public interests or the private or business affairs of others.

When you deal with us, we will:

be helpful and courteous.
ensure you can access our services.
respond to you promptly.
provide you with clear and accurate information.
be consistent, reliable and fair.

Our customer service principles are backed up by service level commitments which we measure.

Have your say

We aim to continuously improve our products and services. Your feedback is important to us as it can help us make improvements for the benefit of all our customers.

We also like to hear about a job well done.

If you have a compliment, suggestion or complaint you can:

speak to a staff member or their supervisor; or
fill in a feedback form available from our website; or
contact us (see our contact details above).

We will send you a considered response to your suggestion or complaint within 15 working days if you provide your contact details.

If you're not satisfied with the way we handle your complaint, you may contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman on 1300 362 072.

Our customers include:

National and international businesses and research companies.
Inventors, small to medium enterprises, students, people with good ideas.
Attorneys and other IP professionals, including professional searchers.

How you can help us

Utilise our on line services or forms.
Let us know promptly when your details change.
Let us know if our products or services are not meeting your expectations.
Treat us with courtesy.
Understand that we are here to help you, but we cannot provide legal or commercial advice.
Understand that the IP system can be complex and it may be in your best interests to seek the services of an IP professional.

Code of practice

IP Australia has developed a Code of Practice as a practical guide for staff. This enables us to maintain a strong customer service ethos and deliver on our commitment to providing quality customer service.