Trade marks and style names – can you tell the difference?

Australia strengthens its response to counterfeit goods importation through new legislation that creates strict liability offences and enables infringement notices at the border. The amendments aim to make counterfeit importing unprofitable by ensuring penalties and seized goods exceed potential profits. How will these changes impact intellectual property rights holders and importers operating in Australia?

The Australian Recording Industry Association has amended its chart eligibility guidelines to exclude songs predominantly created by generative AI, sparking debate about the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law. This decision mirrors broader legal challenges facing courts and regulators worldwide as they grapple with determining when AI-generated or AI-assisted works deserve copyright protection and recognition.

A service provider who has not assigned their intellectual property still owns it, regardless of what the invoice says. Under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), the creator owns copyright by default, and ownership moves only by written assignment. Paying a designer or developer does not transfer ownership on its own. That default gives service providers real leverage where a client refuses to pay. Retention and suspension clauses turn the default into a contractual right to withhold deliverables.

Adidas has commenced trade mark infringement proceedings in Australia against fashion retailer White Fox over its use of four parallel stripes on clothing. It is the latest dispute to test how far adidas can prevent third parties from using stripe designs which come close to its well-known three-stripe branding.

Understanding the legal requirements & best practices for IP assignment can prevent costly disputes & ensure a smooth transfer of ownership.

Businesses building AI products on third-party models face a critical intellectual property challenge: determining what parts of their AI systems can actually be protected when competitors have access to the same underlying models. This analysis explores where protectable value sits in AI workflows, from data retrieval and validation processes to system integration and deployment architecture, and why patent strategy must focus on the commercially defensible elements rather than just the AI model itself.

The Full Federal Court has clarified the test for copyright infringement in artistic works on product packaging, rejecting a generalised 'look and feel' approach in favour of detailed side-by-side comparisons. In a dispute between Aldi and Hampden Holdings over baby snack packaging, the Court found that five of Aldi's eleven MAMIA designs infringed copyright, despite Aldi's deliberate strategy to stay 'not too close' to its competitor's benchmark designs.

A warning was issued to copyright pirates earlier this month when a claim made by the video game company Nintendo Co Ltd (Nintendo) against an Australian individual for illegally copying and uploading to the Internet its new Super Mario Bros Wii game was settled.

Australian patent law requires all patents to be novel—meaning the invention must be new when compared with prior art existing before the priority date. A single prior disclosure that lacks novelty can invalidate a patent claim, jeopardizing licensing agreements, freedom-to-operate assessments, and infringement actions.

The Full Federal Court of Australia has handed down its appeal decision in Aldi Foods Pty Limited v Hampden Holdings I.P. Pty Limited [2026] FCAFC 103 which provides guidance regarding the application of copyright infringement principles to the packaging of look-alike products.

Malaysia is drafting its first patent linkage framework for pharmaceutical products, scheduled for implementation on 1 May 2027 following CPTPP ratification. The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency has released draft guidelines establishing an administrative connection between drug registration and patent status, introducing notification requirements, suspension periods, and four application categories that will fundamentally reshape how innovators and generic manufacturers navigate market entry.

The Australian Government has released an exposure draft of the Privacy Amendment (Personal Data Protection) Bill 2026, proposing the most substantial reforms to the Privacy Act 1988 in recent times. These changes introduce a fair and reasonable test for data handling, enhanced consent requirements, expanded breach notification obligations, and new rights including data erasure for large digital platforms.

Businesses building AI products on third-party models face a critical intellectual property challenge: determining what parts of their AI systems can actually be protected when competitors have access to the same underlying models. This analysis explores where protectable value sits in AI workflows, from data retrieval and validation processes to system integration and deployment architecture, and why patent strategy must focus on the commercially defensible elements rather than just the AI model itself.

Singapore's Intellectual Property Office has extended its Patent Prosecution Highway pilot with China through 2031 and made its PPH program with France permanent...

IPIII offers an insurance policy for enterprises and innovators with a Singapore patent, trademark or registered design.

The application of the Doctrine of Inherency in the assessment of patentable subject matter in the Philippines is summarised for each situation below.

This system is part of the government's efforts to reduce trademark and copyright counterfeits by temporary suspension.

Marking a milestone in China's drug regulatory landscape, the 2026 Revisions of China's Drug Administration Law introduce data exclusivity and market exclusivity into the regulatory framework...

Federal Government announced that it will not introduce a TDM exemption into its copyright law, reinforcing a restrictive stance on copyright during the global AI boom.

An international treaty that simplifies the process of authenticating public documents for use in foreign countries.