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ARTICLE · 28 MAY 2021

Recognising and protecting indigenous knowledge in Australian IP system

Corrs Chambers Westgarth
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IP Australia has proposed four key areas where the intellectual property system can better protect indigenous knowledge.

AustraliaIntellectual Property
David Fixler
David Fixler
Sarah Catania
Sarah Catania
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IP Australia is currently looking at how the intellectual property (IP) system can better support Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (TSI) people to benefit from and protect their Indigenous Knowledge (IK).

In its current consultation paper, IP Australia outlines the four key areas on which it is seeking feedback:

  1. The establishment of an Indigenous Advisory Panel.
  2. Proposed changes to trade marks legislation.
  3. The introduction of a disclosure requirement for patents and plant breeder's rights (PBR).
  4. Interest in a labelling scheme to clearly distinguish authentic Indigenous products.

We provide a brief overview of each proposal below, noting that submissions close on 31 May 2021.

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