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ARTICLE · 15 NOVEMBER 2019

The examination red carpet for cleantech patent applications in Australia

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The article considers pros and cons of proceeding toward accelerated patent grants in Australia for cleantech inventions.

AustraliaIntellectual Property
Gareth Dixon
Gareth Dixon
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In recent years, IP "buzzwords" have included superconductors, gene patents, business methods and computer software. Society's ever-increasing environmental awareness now dictates that "cleantech" is the latest vogue. The Australian Patent Office offers the facility to request expedited examination of any patent application if the applicant provides good reason (this may be as vague as "commercialisation"). However, the Office singles out cleantech-related applications by not requiring a reason other than that the invention is in the (somewhat imperfectly-defined) area of "green [clean] technology (climate ready)" research. In this article, we consider some of the pros and cons of proceeding toward accelerated patent grants in Australia for cleantech inventions.

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