Edition 45, June 2007

Reducing red tape for patent applicants

IP Australia, the Australian Government agency responsible for examining patent applications, has started consulting with interested parties aimed at removing a regulatory burden faced by applicants for Australian patents.

Currently applicants must provide appropriate search results from foreign patent offices as part of the application process. However, this information is increasingly available from the internet.  

As a result, examiners at IP Australia can have much more information available to them than is being provided by applicants currently. There is therefore a declining need for applications to meet the search result requirement.

Consequently, IP Australia is considering removing the requirement to include these search results and has commenced consultations with interested groups. The intention is to significantly reduce the compliance burden for applicants, while still achieving the underlying policy objectives.

Consultations have commenced and submissions are due by COB, Wednesday 13 June 2007.

For more information and a copy of the consultation paper, visit www.ipaustralia.gov.au (Select >Consultation on proposed changes to the Patents Act> from the left menu)

This page was generated on 14 January, 2010