Intellectual property highlights of 2010

By Kimberly Statham of Gadens Lawyers, Sydney

Last year saw a number of interesting developments in the intellectual property space, thanks to some groundbreaking copyright and trade mark Court decisions. As 2011 begins, we thought it would be a good idea to recap on some of the key issues that arose in 2010.

Telstra Corporation & Anor v Phone Directories Company Pty Limited & Ors [2010] FCA 44

In a landmark decision handed down on 8 February 2010, the Federal Court of Australia held that copyright does not subsist in the contents of the Yellow Pages and White Pages telephone directories. The decision reached in this case will no doubt be far reaching and will impact works which are, for example, data compilations, computer generated works, or works which are created through the efforts of different employees in a business.