Wallace & Gromit to teach kids about invention and intellectual property
17 May 2012
Wallace and Gromit, the world-famous characters ...
Changes to copyright
A number of changes were made to the Copyright Act in 2004 as part of the implementation of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA).
AUSFTA and intellectual property
IP is covered in chapter 17 of the AUSFTA. This is the longest chapter in the agreement, reflecting the importance of a strong and effective IP protection regime to both countries.
The subject matter covered includes:
- copyright
- trade marks
- domain names
- designs
- patents
- regulation products
- IP enforcement.
The agreement provides Australia with the flexibility to implement the agreement in a way that reflects Australia's interests and our legal and regulatory environment.
Legislative changes under AUSFTA
The US Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act 2004 has 10 schedules, five of which relate to the changes for IP.
Patents
Only the patents legislation required amendment to ensure it is consistent with the agreement.
The grounds for revocation in the Patents Act were broader than the grounds on which a patent could be refused. Amendments extended the grounds on which the grant of a patent can be refused to include the invention not being useful, or being secretly used. This means that patents can continue to be revoked on these grounds.
Trade marks
The Trade Marks Office will take on additional functions in relation to assisting the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) to determine geographical indications for wine.
The amendments to the AWBC Act:
- allow the owner of a trade mark to object to the determination of an Australian GI
- introduced procedures to allow for a GI to be cancelled.
Administrative guidelines have been prepared for registration and cancellation of GIs of foreign countries.
Agriculture and veterinary chemicals
The reforms boosted existing data protection provisions to stimulate innovation in agricultural chemistry in support of Australian agriculture and to increase the transparency in decision making.
Therapeutic goods
Applicants wanting to include goods (other than therapeutic devices and medical devices) in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods must do one of the following:
- certify that they do not propose to market the therapeutic good in a way that would infringe a patent
- certify that they propose to market therapeutic goods while a relevant patent is in force and have notified the patent owner of their application.
The requirement to notify a patent owner will only be required if the generic company intends to market a product during the term of the patent. This does not give the pharmaceutical company that owns the patent any additional rights.
Copyright
The major changes from the IP chapter of the AUSFTA agreement were made to copyright legislation. They included:
- new rights, both economic and moral for performers in sound recordings
- extensions of the term of protection for most copyright material by 20 years
- implementation of a scheme for limitation of remedies available against Carriage Service Providers for copyright infringement
- wider criminal provisions for copyright infringement
- broader protection for electronic rights management
- protection against a wider range of unauthorised reproductions.
More information
- US free Trade Agreement Implementation Act 2004
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
- Department of Health and Ageing
- Attorney-General's Department
- Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation
Last Updated: 05/9/2011
