Industry Insights

Technology commoditisation makes it a great time to be a consumer, but it’s harder for manufactures.  Technology manufacturers are now able to duplicate the latest technology used in cutting-edge products much more quickly and cheaply.  The reason?  Manufacturing and design tools are being developed that have more knowledge baked into them, meaning manufactures don’t have…

WEBDYNETM provides hardware and software components for complex networks, and advises clients on how to implement the Internet of Things (IOT).  It was funded by venture capitalists.  WEBDYNETM has established a strong position in solar energy generation installations, smart energy distribution networks, and smart energy consumption.    WEBDYNETM was one of the first movers to provide…

AEROGENTM is a highly successful company that has developed a patented vibrating mesh technology for nebulisers, and has established itself as the global market leader in acute care drug delivery for ventilated patients.      AEROGENTM derives a competitive advantage from a formidable patent portfolio of 14 patent families which bring financial and business support benefits in…

The intellectual property system has been designed to encourage the spread of new technologies by giving their owners exclusive rights.  For example, a patentee in an export market has the exclusive right to sell and make the invention in the export market.  An owner of a trade mark in relation to a good or service…

Companies that embrace the development of intellectual property have a competitive advantage and key differentiator in the market. Leveraging intellectual property is an excellent growth opportunity for companies. A strategy to protect intellectual property can be developed to prevent erosion of the company’s intellectual assets to a commodity. IP strategy should be aligned with a…

In Australia, a complete patent application may be filed for an invention. Only a complete patent application can result in the grant of an Australian patent. A complete patent application can be either a standard patent application or an innovation patent application. Order of filing It is generally recommended to file a provisional patent application…

In most cases, an inventor first has his or her patent attorney prepare and file a provisional patent application. The provisional patent application is prepared by the patent attorney with a view to the law that governs the validity of patent applications and patents generally. The law governing the validity of patent applications is complex…

There are a few stages to the patent application process. It usually takes at least a few years to go through all the stages. The later stages are the most expensive so most people try to delay them as long as possible. In the time before you officially file a patent application, make sure to…

1. Consider keeping valuable information secret from your competitors. Competitors cannot use information that only you know about.  This provides you with a competitive advantage. Secrets are sometimes known as “confidential information” and “trade secrets”.  In Australia they may be protected by the principles of Breach of Confidence under the common law. Secrecy may be an…

Keep it secret … Disclosing your invention to others before you file a patent application is generally likely to invalidate the patent application. Consequently, it is important that you keep your invention secret until a patent application is filed. In some circumstances, disclosing your invention to a person may not invalidate the patent application provided…