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Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of patent information activities and expected time frames for their realizationTEST
A patents structured data back-capture project initiated in 2014 has recently been completed. The resulting impact of this to IPA customers and stakeholders is an increase the accessibility of core patents bibliographic data for approx. 350,000 patent records from 1904-1979 through IPAs front end Patent search database AusPat.
IP Government Open Data - On 7 October IP Australia launched the Intellectual Property Government Open Data (IPGOD) on www.data.gov.au. This data provides a comprehensive, flexible and reliable dataset back to the early 1900s and includes all inventions, brands, designs and plant breeder's rights filed in Australia up to 31 December 2013, providing more than 350 million data points, matching IP rights to firm ABNs.
Regional Patent Examiner Training (RPET) - The first graduate from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) completed his training in November 2014. This marked an important milestone for the program, which was launched in 2013 and accepted eight examiners from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) in its inaugural intake. The RPET program has allowed the concept of competency based training to be integrated into the way the participating countries deliver their patent examiner training. This work has been supported by ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA Economic Cooperation Work Program (AANZFTA ECWP) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as well as the participating offices involved.
New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks
SEM-Single Application - Liaising with NZ in the development of proposal and legislative amendments. The Bill passed through the Lower House of the Australian Parliament. Public consultation on proposed regulations for TTPAR and models for Single Application Process and Single Examination Process has begun.
Main areas of patent information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year
The RIO programme is a body of work currently being undertaken by IP Australia in an effort to build a system to manage workflow and IP right cases based on user centred design methodology. The RIO programme will see IPA harmonise its IP Rights through process reengineering, simplification of technology and processes and legislative requirements.
Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and grants with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants with respect to the previous year:
2013:
Patent applications filed = 29,717
Patents granted = 17,112
PCT designations = N/A*
2014:
Patent applications filed = 25,947 (including NPE and direct applications)
Patents granted = 19,304
PCT designations = N/A*
*(note all states were automatically designated for PCT filings from 1 January 2004)
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year:
Overall, applications for patents and trade marks in Australia dipped during the global financial crisis (GFC). Patent filings have since recovered and trade mark and design filings now exceed pre-GFC levels. From 2011 to 2013, we have seen growth in patent and trade mark filings from Australian applicants as well as applicants from the United States of America (US) and Asia.
However, applications for patents in 2014 decreased by 13 percent relative to 2013. This result was driven disproportionately by a reduction in applications made directly to IP Australia, which accounted for 59 per cent of the decline. The decrease in filings may be attributed to the effects of the IP Laws Amendment (Raising the Bar) Act 2012 that took force in 2013. This law was designed to increase the inventive threshold required for an innovation to be granted as a standard patent. The most immediate and observable impact of this policy was a rush of applications in the lead up to the implementation date and a record number of standard patent applications for 2013.Due to the higher inventive threshold, it is not surprising that there were fewer standard patent applications in 2014. It can reasonably be assumed that the historically high number of applications in 2013 was caused by the early filing of applications which otherwise would have been filed in 2014.
Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.
Latest news
Latest news is featured on the home page of IP Australia's website:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/
Statistics
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/what-we-do/facts-and-stats/
Annual Report
“Australian Intellectual Property Report 2015” - http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/what-we-do/reports/ip_report_2015/
Patent Search System
http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/quickSearch.do
II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) - URLs
Planning, administration, automation, security, buildings
IP Australia’s Contact Centre provides a central contact for customers to obtain information about a wide range of Intellectual Property issues. Customers contact the Call Centre via telephone, and online enquiry form with around 95% of matters of a general nature solved at the first point of contact.
Increasingly, IP Australia is using its website as a means of providing an alternative means of public access to these services. Patents can be searched by external clients via AusPat.
IP Australia has implemented a system to support business-to-customer (eServices) data exchange of patents, industrial designs and trade marks transactions. This system provides a platform for IPA customers to interact electronically with our office. As such traditional modes of filing and communication have been decommissioned such as fax.
IP Australia has recently implemented a system to support business-to-business data exchange of patents, industrial designs and trade marks transactions with its high volume clients (Patents and Trade Mark Attorneys). This system will be consistent with WIPO electronic filing and National e-commerce standards.
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of patent applications
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/get-the-right-ip/eservices/
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide information on business procedures such as: filing, publication, examination and grant procedures related to patents; opposition and appeal procedures related to patents; etc.
General information
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/get-the-right-ip/patents/
Publications and forms
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/get-the-right-ip/patents/patent-forms/
and
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/get-the-right-ip/patents/patent-publications/
Examiners Manual
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/pdfs/patentsmanual/WebHelp/Patent_Examiners_Manual.htm
IP Australia has released a new website. Any links to the previous site will be redirected to the new home page. Please contact IP Australia if you need assistance.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., patent search service(s) and patent databases), as well as information on how to access and utilise them
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/get-the-right-ip/patents/search-for-a-patent/
Availability of the application dossier in electronic form
Patent application dossier is available through eDossier. This is accessible via IP Australia's front facing search system AusPat.
http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/quickSearch.do
Bibliographic data is captured and held in an oracle database with Java Interface. Updates occur nightly i.e. on a 24 hourly basis.
Classification1, preclassification2 (if applicable), reclassification3 activities; classification systems used (e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC)); matters concerning indexing of patent information
Patent applications are classified into the latest edition of the International Patent Classification. As of 1 January 2006, IP Australia implemented the use of IPC 8 (reformed).
IP Australia no longer reclassifies Australian designated PCT applications at the open for public inspection stage.
Abstracting, reviewing, and translation of the information contained in patent documents
Examiners redraft applicant prepared abstracts of non-PCT national applications when they are found to be deficient to an extent that they are unable to fulfil their function. The abstracts of PCT national phase applications are not reviewed as these have been thoroughly evaluated in the international phase.
Other activities
III. SOURCES OF PATENT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE
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Main types of publications of the Office (patent applications, full text, first pages, abstracts, bibliographic data, granted patents, etc.), medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URLs)
The number of patent documents published in 2014 in the Australian Official Journal of Patents (AOJP) was:
- patent applications open to public inspection (AU-A) = 9010
- patent applications advertised accepted (AU-B) = 21,420
Note:
The AU-A figure includes standard patent, and innovation patents made open to public inspection (OPI) either pre-grant or at grant. [Does not include National Phase Entries.]
The AU-B figure includes standard patent acceptances and innovation patent certifications.
Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URL), etc.
Official notices and changes to office procedures are published in the AOJP.
These Official notices, and many other patent related notices (including the manual of practice and procedure), are also put directly on the IP Australia website under the Patent notices section.
The supplement to the Australian Official Journal of Patents may be found at:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/news-media-and-events/publications/journals/
Information on IP Australia’s Bulk Data Products can be found at:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/doing-business-with-us/bulk-data-products/IP
Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external collections and databases
IP Australia uses commercial search tools EPOQUE, STN and GenomeQuest to search databases such as EPODOC, WPI, full text patent databases and many non-patent literature databases. Additionally, many free patent and non-patent literature databases available in the internet are also searched.
Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to external users, conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)
Australian patent specifications are made available through Bulk Patent Specification e-data.
The Office continues to receive foreign patent specifications on CD-ROM and DVD. The following databases and information are available through the IP Australia website:
AusPat (free of charge):
This search system contains bibliographic and status information about patent applications filed in Australia from January 1979. In some cases, details of patents filed before January 1979 are also available. AusPat also contains International Patent Classification information for the majority applications from 1920; IPC version 8 has been applied to applications filed from 1970.
IP Australia has recently completed a bibliographic data back-capture project wherein additional bibliographic data has been captured for approx. >350, 000 records.
Subscription-based mailing lists:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/news-media-and-events/
Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)
See "In House Systems" and above.
Other sources
IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
Word Processing and Office Automation
Current standard desktop software includes Microsoft Windows 7 with Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus.
Infiniti a document generation tool has been deployed to semi-automate report generation
(New) techniques used for the generation of patent information (printing, recording, photocomposing, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), etc.)
The Office's publication system provides the following functions:
- production of the AOJP Supplement as a PDF file. The Supplement covers applications from 2002. The journal is published on IP Australia’s website;
- production of patent certificates and original register entries; and
- production of notices for patent applicants or their agents.
The other part of the Office's publication system is mainframe based and produces:
- PDF file of the Australian Official Journal of Patents. This covers applications/patents up to 2002;
- patent certificates and original register entries; and
- notices for patent applicants or their agents.
Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
In-house systems (online/offline)
IP Australia has on-line filing facilities for patent applications which allow all new patent applications, as well as all other patent related requests, to be filed electronically. These on-line filings interface directly to IP Australia's electronic case file management system, PAMS, which allows these applications to be processed electronically. The AusPat search system provides public access to a range of the bibliographic data and text of full specifications held in PAMS
External databases
IP Australia uses commercial search tools EPOQUE, STN and GenomeQuest to search databases such as EPODOC, WPI, full text patent databases and many non-patent literature databases. Additionally, many free patent and non-patent literature databases available in the internet are also searched.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
See Section “In-house systems” and “Information products and patent document collections” for this information.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used
IP Australia’s head Office has an Ethernet-based LAN providing high speed bandwidth for each user desktop connection. A DMZ-based, ASD approved firewall using IAN ports (Internet IEFT Assigned Numbers) provides the secure means to allow access from internal systems/users to external entities such as the Internet or public/private organisations.
The current SOE includes Windows 7 with Office 2010 Professional Plus, IE 9.0 and Microsoft Outlook.
Existing online thesauri; their structure, presentation and usefulness for computerized searches
No comment is made here
Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
Full specifications of all non-PCT designated AU-A and AU-B patent specifications are available on the website AusPat.
AusPat is IPA Australia's customer facing search system that contains bibliographic and status information about patent applications filed in Australia from January 1979. In some cases, details of patents filed before January 1979 are also available. AusPat also contains International Patent Classification information for the majority applications from 1920; IPC version 8 has been applied to applications filed from 1970.
IP Australia has recently completed a bibliographic data back-capture project wherein additional bibliographic data has been captured for approx. >350, 000 records.
Updates
Updates to the website information about all non-PCT designated AU-A and AU-B patent specifications occur on a weekly basis.
Updates to the website information about patents bibliographic data occurs nightly.
Storage
Australian patent specifications are made available through Bulk Patent Specification e-data.
The Office continues to receive foreign patent specifications on CD-ROM and DVD. The following databases and information are available through the IP Australia website
Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
No comment is made here
Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)
See "In-house Systems" and "Information products and patent document collections"
Other matters
No comment is made here
V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF PATENT INFORMATION
Patent library: equipment, collection management, network of patent libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign patent libraries
Collecting, acquisitions, preparation
No comment is made here
Collection management, preservation
All Australian Patents records/documents are handled in accordance with Office procedures set down under Australian Law and archiving practices.
Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and patent information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)
Information services are available on the IP Australia website.
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/
Publications related to different business procedures and patent information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
IP Australia provides lots of useful links and topics on a wide range of business procedures and patent information external to IPA through navigation of our website.
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/
Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)
Use of external software including;
- AltaVista Babel Fish Translation
- SYSTRAN Translation
- Google Language Tools
- Free Translation
Additionally IPA has several multi-lingual examiners acting in the additional capacity of providing document and abstract translation.
Cooperation with universities, research centers, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
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Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
Exporters:
Our partnership with the Export Council of Australia is designed to equip our stakeholders and customers with the tools and information they need when trading, or preparing to trade overseas to ensure they’re protecting their ideas, inventions, services or products.
Accountants:
IP Australia has teamed up with CPA Australia, an accounting body with more than 150 000 members, to deliver a long-term, tailored information campaign to help accountants understand the benefits of identifying and protecting IP assets. With an increased understanding of IP and its role in building business value, accountants will be better equipped to ensure their client’s IP is properly recognised, protected and managed.
Engineers:
IP Australia has been engaged with Engineers Australia since 2014 to promote IP messages to its members via a range of channels. With more than 100 000 members embracing all disciplines of engineering, Engineers Australia is the largest and most diverse professional body for engineers in Australia.
SMEs:
A pilot program, IP for Start-ups, was run in March 2015 to help start-ups and small business understand the basics of IP before starting a business. Focussing on patents and trade marks, ten sessions were hosted around Australia. Future program enhancements will include refinements to the content, industry specific case studies and a workshop for creative business.
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Future managers and leaders look set to be more IP-savvy following IP Australia’s successful bid to have IP included in core units in a new Diploma of Leadership and Management in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.
Universities
IP Australia delivers an annual presentation to students enrolled in the WIPO-Queensland University of Technology Master of Laws in Intellectual Property.
Stakeholder engagement
Different types of engagement currently occur across the agency and include formal consultation activity required as part of regulatory or procedural reviews, structured activities such as the IP Forum and the Executive Visits Program and more informal engagement by staff attending conferences and trade shows and giving presentations.
IP Stakeholders Forum (IPSHF)
This is the principal forum for consultation, discussion and information exchange on IP matters with the attorney profession and industry.
IP Forum (IPF)
The IPF is a bi-annual event which draws together attendees from industry, academia, and government to discuss and share information on IP issues of strategic importance.
Executive Visits Program (EVP)
The EVP was established to provide engagement opportunities between IP Australia’s executive and senior representatives from industry associations and private enterprise IP rights filers. By engaging proactively with these stakeholders, through IP Australia initiated consultations, the agency can demonstrate its commitment to seek out views and opinions on IP matters of strategic importance.
Indigenous Stakeholder Engagement
IP Australia continues to promote Dream Shield, a suite of information that helps to raise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business owners’ awareness and understanding of IP. In 2014-15, IP Australia delivered a series of IP Master-classes in collaboration with National Museum of Australia’s Warakurna travelling indigenous Art Expo.
State -based Events
State-based events targeted a diverse range of business and industry sectors including SMEs, students, researchers and exporters.
Other activities
eServices and B2B
B2B (business-to-business) is a software product IP Australia provides high volume customers to use that enables the direct transmission of large numbers of service requests directly into IP Australia internal systems.
eServices is IP Australia’s web-based self-service portal that is widely used by individuals and attorney firms. There are currently over 90,000 registered eServices users.
Customer responses from annuity firms, attorney firms and self-filers have been very positive. The B2B system has been adopted by the four major annuity firms (by volume) resulting in the majority of renewal transactions being processed automatically. As at December 2013, two Australian-based attorney firms had fully adopted B2B to file the transactions available. A further two are transacting with us via B2B however do not use the B2B system for all IP right submissions.
The first significant release across both channels was in October 2012 when all new applications for all IP right types were implemented in both channels. IP Australia envisaged a gradual take-up of the new eServices/B2B. The aim was to reach about 80 per cent take-up two years after the release. These aims have been well exceeded.
Subsequent releases have seen improvements to the channels based on customer feedback, as well as improvements to support Raising the Bar legislative changes.
In late 2013, IP Australia introduced the “General eService” functionality and “Make a Payment”. These latest enhancements allow users to submit the remaining transaction/service request types including amendments, assignments, extensions of time, opposition matters, international services, invoice payments, and responses to examination reports.
Electronic Correspondence
In September 2014, IP Australia introduced electronic patent correspondence for eServices and B2B customers. This major release represented a first for the agency and assisted us to further streamline our processes and reduce our reliance on physical resources such as paper. We are currently working hard on our capability to deliver Trade Marks and Designs correspondence electronically and we anticipate the initial staged delivery of electronic Trade Mark correspondence will be introduced by late September 2015. Designs electronic correspondence will then follow in early 2016.
Electronic Patent Certificates
In August 2015, IP Australia extended the electronic correspondence capability to include electronic patent certificates for our customers. All customers who transact with us via our preferred online channels will now receive patent certificates electronically via eServices or B2B.
ePCT
ePCT is now our preferred channel for filing PCT applications and associated requests.
ePCT is a WIPO online system that permits Receiving Offices (RO), International Authorities and registered customers access to the latest bibliographic data and documents on file at the International Bureau (IB). It also allows registered users to upload electronic documents relating to an international application directly into the IB's processing system.
Using the ePCT system, you can submit online requests for different actions to be performed and view the most up-to-date bibliographic data and documents contained in the international application, including those that have not yet been published. It also gives the registered user additional functionality to manage roles, portfolios and receive notifications in accordance with their PCT needs and preferences.
Other benefits for using the ePCT system include:
- Filing of new International Applications
- The ability to maintain, monitor and review multiple PCT portfolios
- Immediate allocation of a PCT application number upon filing
- A reduced International filing fee for an electronic filing
- Access to up to date information on each application
- Ability to allocate and manage roles and access to selected parties
- Ability to upload documents for consideration by the processing office
- A link to WIPO's DAS system, obtaining their priority documents from DAS
- Does not require installation and maintenance of any software locally
ePCT currently at 50% uptake with external customers. ePCT Payment facility not available at this stage. WIPO expecting to offer this functionality in 2015
VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF PATENT INFORMATION
International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information
Full specifications of all non-PCT designated AU-A and AU-B patent specifications are available on the website, and are updated on a weekly basis.
Australian patent specifications are made available through Bulk Patent Specification e-data.
Medium used for exchange of priority documents
Certified copies of Australian patent applications for use as priority documents in foreign applications are provided in paper form. Priority documents on which Australian applications are based are required in paper form. Priority documents can also be provided in electronic form using the WIPO DAS service.
Medium allowed for filing applications
IP Australia has on-line filing facilities for patent applications which allows all new standard patent applications as well as innovation patent applications to be filed electronically. IP Australia also accepts applications filed in paper form.
Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to patent information
IP Australia presented at the following seminars and workshops in 2014
- WIPO CASE National Workshop to facilitate work sharing – (Malaysia October 2014).
- Delivery of GI training (Singapore May 2014). This workshop aimed to assist Singapore with the implementation of a national system for the protection of Geographical indications.
- 28th Annual Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand (IPSANZ) Conference (September 2014). IPSANZ is an independent society whose principal object is to provide a forum for the dissemination of information and discussions about IP issues among a wide range of stakeholder groups.
- WIPO National Workshop on the Financial and Human Resource Management of an IP Office (November 2014), the objectives of the workshop were to provide the designated staff of the Ministry of Science and Technology in Myanmar on financial and human resource aspects of managing an IP office.
- IP Statistics for Decision Makers (Tokyo, November 2014), this annual event is the peak conference on the use of data, statistics and economic evidence in IP policy.
- WIPO National Workshop on Trademark Filing and Registration Management (November 2014). This activity sought to assist the Government of Myanmar to finalise new trade mark legislation and plan for its implementation.
- Training of ASEAN Trademark Examiners and Legal Officers on Madrid Protocol Phase II (December 2014). This activity aimed to assist ASEAN nations with their implementation of the Madrid Protocol.
- OECD conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Enterprise Dynamics and Working Party on industry Analysis (December 2014). IP Australia was invited to present its work on the IP Government Open Data project and related economic work.
The Vancouver Group (VG) was established in 2008 and is made up of the IP Offices of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The VG aims to:
- share information and experiences on common issues and areas relevant to managing a mid-sized national IP office, and
- contribute to a more effective multilateral approach to work sharing in a manner that supports the principles of the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
Through working together in a smarter, more collaborative way, the VG aims to better meet the needs of innovators and users of IP. T
The current priority of the VG is the patents-related work. This led to the the development of the VG Mutual Exploitation Initiative where the three offices rely on each other’s searches and examination reports where substantially similar applications are filed in more than one office. The VG offices agreed in July 2009 to implement the Mutual Exploitation initiative.
More recently, the Vancouver Group Offices have been working together to develop a combined approach to patent quality. In 2014, the VG offices agreed to a pilot program for independently auditing one-another’s work. The heads of the VG offices, in early 2015, agreed to proceed with a continuation of the audit program, reviewing different areas of technology in turn.
WIPO-CASE
The Vancouver Group and WIPO developed the Centralized Access to Search and Examination (WIPO-CASE) System that enables patent offices to securely share search and examination documentation related to patent applications in order to facilitate work sharing programs. WIPO CASE has been linked with the JPO’s One Portal Dossier (OPD) system giving participants access to a greater range of data.
Other improvements include scalable security, more shareable document types and better notification services.
Patent process mapping among IP offices
The team is leading a multi-office exercise aiming to identify documents produced and data collected/created, and what data can be shared with other IP Offices, at each stage of the patent life cycle. The gathering of this information is intended to help paint a picture of an abstracted patent prosecution process at various jurisdictions, and identify work-sharing opportunities at various stages of the patent cycle. This information can be exploited to progress cooperation in various channels, including the Multi-Office ICT Road Map group and the Group B+ ‘Worksharing via ICT’ Work Stream.
Standardisation projects
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) standards in the field of industrial property information and documentation are an essential enabler for international cooperation. Standardization efforts have resulted in 51 WIPO Standards, Recommendations and Guidelines related to patents, trademarks and industrial designs.
These WIPO Standards facilitate the harmonization of practices by industrial property offices regarding electronic data processing in respect of the procedures for filing, examination, publication, granting and registration of industrial property titles.
WIPO Standards also facilitate the international transmission, exchange, sharing and dissemination of industrial property information (text and images), as well as the access to and retrieval of the said information. Through their involvement in the Committee on WIPO Standards (CWS) and its Task Forces.
The International ICT Cooperation Team is actively participating in the development and maintenance of a number of these standards, including:
- ST.96 (XML4IP): This standard recommends the XML (eXtensible Markup Language) resources to be used for filing, publication, processing, and exchange of information for all types of industrial property (IP), i.e., patents, trademarks and industrial designs. This new standard will eventually replace the existing separate XML standards for the three IP rights (ST.36, ST.66 and ST.86).
- ST.14: This standards sets out the recommendations for references cited in patent documents. As part of the ST.14 Task Force, the team is currently focused on revising the recommendations provided in paragraph 14 of the Standard ST.14 with regard to citation category codes, as well as to consider the convenience of bringing WIPO Standard ST.14 in line with the recent version of International Standard ISO 690:2010.
- ST.10C:This standard sets out the recommendations for presentation of bibliographic data components of IP documents. Recent work of the ST.10C Task Force has focused on collecting and publishing information regarding application and priority application numbering systems currently and historically used by IP offices.
- ST.26: A yet-to-be-adopted standard recommendation for the disclosure of sequence listings using XML
- New task force for standardizing the sound/motion/multimedia marks
- New task force for standardizing patent legal status
- PCT Minimum Documentation Task Force
Group B+ ’Worksharing via ICT’ Work Stream
IP Australia is leading the Group B+ work stream towards achieving work sharing, specifically mutual-exploitation, within Group B+ through the use of Information Technology (IT).
Single Economic Market
In 2009, the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand agreed to accelerate efforts towards trans-Tasman regulatory integration as part of the Single Economic Market (SEM) agenda. The SEM IP outcomes include a single trans-Tasman regulatory framework for patent attorneys, and single trans-Tasman patent application and examination processes. These aim to provide increased efficiencies and potential cost savings for inventors and users of the IP system in both countries.
Under the proposed single examination process (SEP), patent applications for the same invention will be examined by a single examiner in either country. The regime will take account of the separate national laws and will lead to separate patents in Australia and NZ. SEP will reduce duplication, leading to savings in time and money for patent applicants.
The single application process (SAP) will make applying for patents more efficient. Under the SAP, applicants will be able to file applications for national standard patents or PCT national phase entry with either IP Australia or with IPONZ, pay a single fee and provide a single address for service, and have these applications take effect in both countries.
RPET
RPET is a modern, comprehensive and intensive competency based online training program which is based on IP Australia’s existing training framework, with a focus on search and examination according to the PCT standards. A Virtual Learning Environment provides access to online RPET resources, enables remote and real-time delivery of training (via virtual classrooms) as well as collaboration among participants located in different countries and across different time zones.
The objectives of RPET are to:
- Build the patent examination capabilities of participating offices by improving examiner competence via a comprehensive, integrated and remotely delivered training program that results in competency comparable to reaching IP Australia’s Acceptance Delegation for examining to PCT standards.
- Provide on-going mentoring and support throughout the program using a combination of face-to-face training, supervision from local and Australian examiners and online learning technology.
- Enhance patent examination standards of participating offices, which will lead to the granting of higher quality and consistent patent rights and increased business confidence throughout the ASEAN region
RPET has seen the complete first intake of eight trainees from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) successfully complete the program and graduate. There are currently 2 more intakes (total of 29 trainees) from the above countries as well as Thailand and Vietnam currently progressing through the training. The RPET program has also been successful in promoting further quality and improvements in these countries with several countries trialling multi-person search teams and investigating the IP Australia Quality system with a view to implementing a quality review system of their own. Many of the countries have also started to use the RPET training as a basis for their own in-house patent examiner training. This work has been supported by ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA Economic Cooperation Work Program (AANZFTA ECWP) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as well as the participating offices involved.
Assistance to developing countries
Through the WIPO Funds-in-Trust theme of developing the IP system, IP Australia has supported the following activities in 2014:
- Study visit in support of accession to the Madrid System (for Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos to IPONZ) (February 2014)
- Study visit of Trademark and Patent Examiners from IPOPNG to IP-Australia (February/March 2104)
- Sub-regional Workshop on Copyright, Creativity and Development for Decision Makers of South Pacific Countries (march 2104)
- WIPO National Workshop on Patent Drafting and the Use of the Patent System (Indonesia) (May 2104)
- WIPO National Workshop on Patent Drafting and the Use of the Patent System (Thailand) (June 2014)
- National Training on Successful Technology Licensing (STL) (Philippines) (May 2104)
- National Training on Successful Technology Licensing (Indonesia) (June 2014)
- Philippines – National Seminar and Workshop on Patent Examination Procedures (July 2014)
- Chile – Training of two officials from the National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI) on ISA/IPEA – Patent Examination Procedures (July 2014)
- PCT Workshop for Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos (held in Singapore, July 2014)
- Training Program on Financial and Human Resource Management of a National IP Office (Myanmar) (November 2014)
- Training Program on Trademark Filing and Registration Management (Myanmar) (November 2014)
- WIPO / FIT Australia National Training Program on Advanced Successful Technology Licensing (STL) (Philippines) (September 2014)
- WIPO / FIT Australia Patent Drafting Training of Trainers Program (Vietnam) (November 2014)
- WIPO / FIT Australia National Workshop on Successful Technology Licensing (STL) (Vietnam) (December 2014)
Development of national IP Strategies – Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga
Other activities
VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
Provide information on legislation related to patents
Patents Act:
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Series/C2004A04014
Patents Regulations
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Series/F1996B02697
- Intellectual Property Laws Amendment (Raising the Bar) Act 2012
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2012A00035
Annual Report
http://www.industry.gov.au/AboutUs/CorporatePublications/AnnualReports/Pages/default.aspx
(Refer part B for information on IP Australia)
Provide Latest news:
Latest news is featured on the home page of IP Australia's website:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/
Subscription-based mailing lists:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/news-media-and-events/
Other relevant matters
IP Australia a new website. Any links to the previous site will be redirected to the new home page. Please contact IP Australia if you need assistance.
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