Adopting an “Orphan Works” Scheme: Proposals from the Copyright Amendment Bill 2025 (Cth)
The Federal Government recently announced Australia’s first statutory orphan works scheme by way of the Copyright Amendment Bill 2025 (Cth) (Bill).
Read MoreUKIPO Set to Increase Fees for the First Time in Years from April 2026
On 5 November 2025, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) announced that, subject to legislative approval, fees for patents, trade marks and designs will rise from 1 April 2026. This marks the first major adjustment in years: trade mark fees have not increased since 1998, design fees since 2016 and patent fees since 2018.
Read MoreUSPTO Director Squires Signals Future Update to AI Patent Eligibility Guidance at 2025 AIPLA Annual Meeting
At the 2025 American Intellectual Property Law Associate (AIPLA) Annual Meeting, John Squires, Director of the United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), delivered a keynote speech that may prove pivotal for future examination of subject matter eligibility. While Director Squires touched on a range of goals for managing the patent office, the core of the address centered on his view of subject matter eligibility for artifical intelligence (AI)-related inventions.
Read MoreUSPTO Launches Streamlined Patent Application Program
For applicants with a patent application having, or amended to have, a streamlined claim set—one independent claim and a maximum of nine singly dependent claims—the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently launched a new mechanism for accelerating initial review of the application. This Program (the Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program) is separate from the USPTO’s existing procedures to advance out of turn (accord special status) the examination of a utility application, which includes (1) a petition to make special, or (2) a request for prioritized examination.
Read MoreCopyright Act in Australia Won’t Permit Free use of Copyright Works in AI
The Albanese Government has rejected a proposal to amend Australia’s copyright laws to allow artificial intelligence (AI) systems to freely train on copyright works, according to an official statement released on Sunday.
Read MoreUSPTO Proposes Rule Changes to Refocus Inter Partes Review Proceedings
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has proposed significant changes to the rules governing Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). These revisions aim to enhance fairness, efficiency, and predictability in patent disputes, while curbing duplicative and costly litigation. Notably, these changes do not apply to Post-Grant Review (proceedings that must be filed within nine months of the patent issue date).
Read MorePatent Victory? Here’s When You Decide Between Damages or an Account of Profits
The Federal Court of Australia has clarified when a successful patentee must make an election for pecuniary relief in Vehicle Monitoring Systems Pty Ltd (VMS) v SARB Management Group Pty Ltd (SARB) (No 13) [2025] FCA 1078.
Read MoreAll Eyes on EYLEA–Sandoz Defeats Preliminary Injunction
The recent decision in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc v Sandoz shows how a strong noninfringement position can be powerful to resisting a preliminary injunction. The dismissal of the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Regeneron) and Bayer Australia Ltd and Bayer Consumer Care AG (together Bayer) parties’ application for interlocutory relief aligns with the recent trend away from granting preliminary (interlocutory) injunctions in pharmaceutical patent cases. While the trend has primarily arisen from the court’s recognition that the calculation of damages for a new market entrant is likely to be more difficult than that for the patentee, this was a, but not the main driving, factor in this case.
Read MoreSage Advice from the Federal Court: Stylisation of Collab Marks
In Paige v Sage and Paige1, the Federal Court considered the existence of brand collaborations in the fashion industry, colloquially known as “collabs”, in assessing the deceptive similarity of trade marks.
Read MoreKeep Spinning: Aristocrat Finally Hits the Patent Jackpot
The Full Federal Court recently issued a game changing decision in Aristocrat v Commissioner of Patents [2025] FCAFC 131, which has major implications for the patentability of computer-implemented inventions.
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