Another IP amendment bill

The Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill 2013 was introduced into Parliament today.

The changes include:

  • amendments to the Crown use provisions in the Patents Act to ensure they apply where the relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory government has primary responsibility for funding or providing the service and to include a requirement for approval by the relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory Attorney-General
  • implementation of the TRIPS protocol to enable generics to apply to the Federal Court for a compulsory licence to manufacture a patented drug for export to developing countries experiencing a serious public health problem (or, as the EM puts it, a Health Crisis) to which the drug relates
  • conferring jurisdiction over plant varieties rights matters on the Federal Circuit Court (formerly the Federal Magistrates Court)
  • implementation of the Trans-Tasman patent attorney regime (whereby patent attorneys registered in Australia or NZ are entitled to practise in the other country as well)
  • so-called “technical amendments” to ensure that the amendments made by the “Raising the Bar” Act operate as intended.

Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill 2013

Explanatory Memorandum

IP Australia’s announcement

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