Please provide links to your website where the requested information can be found in English, French, or Spanish. Alternately, you may provide text responses instead of URLs if desired. If the information is not available on your website in an ATR language, then please provide text.
URLs in responses should meet the following requirements:
The term "industrial designs" covers industrial designs and models.
Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in this series of Annual Technical Reports.
Information on the following topics is desired:
IP Australia’s vision is to deliver a world-leading IP system that builds prosperity for Australia. By administering intellectual property rights, we provide a key set of levers for harnessing Australia’s innovative potential and lifting its productivity, industrial capacity and economic resilience.
In 2021, IP Australia carried out research and consultation exploring Australia’s design economy, the Designs Reform Project (DRP). A significant body of evidence was compiled to inform potential changes to, and surrounding, the design rights system in Australia. Design Initiatives | IP Australia
Based on these findings, in 2022 IP Australia completed a first phase of legislative improvements to the designs system, including introduction of a 12-month grace period. IP Australia is now exploring potential legislative changes to allow a broader section of the designs economy to benefit from registered design protection. Possible changes include protection for virtual designs and designs for parts of products. Between 13 June and 13 August 2023, IP Australia conducted public consultation on the second phase of reforms. The Government will decide whether to proceed with legislation and further consultation in due course.
More information can be found in our Strategic Corporate Plan Corporate Plan 2024-25 | IP Australia.
People + Technology + Efficiency Program (P+T+E): This program was established to explore opportunities for further innovation in a rapidly changing technology ecosystem. This program aims to keep IP Australia efficient, relevant, and flexible in how services are delivered customers and stakeholders.
Designs System Revitalisation (DSR): The DSR project is a multi-year initiative to revitalise the usability, accessibility, and functionality of the case management system for Designs, with a focus on the needs of internal users.
The work will increase efficiency in processes supporting the work of designs officers. It will also improve the accuracy and consistency of information for design rights customers. The project will focus on:
Customer Value Program (CVP): The CVP program closed June 2024. The CVP aimed to transform IP Australia’s internal processes and capabilities and align them to a customer-centric and delivery-focused model. The program has delivered efficiencies for end-to-end IP rights administration and improved engagement and satisfaction for IP Australia’s customers by delivering a more modern, practical and informative corporate website, a modern and effective correspondence, streamlined and efficient processes and services for customers, and digital experience personalisation and maturity. Specifically, key deliverables included:
Refer to above.
Item | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Applications | 9,583 | 8,776 | 7,869 | 8,123 | 7,172 | 7,462 |
Registrations | 8,854 | 8,000 | 7,593 | 8,023 | 6,332 | 7,077 |
Certifications | 1,474 | 1,540 | 1,241 | 1,377 | 997 | 1,001 |
Latest news: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/news-and-community
Statistics & Australian IP Report: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/data-research-and-reports
Information on the following topics is desired:
The primary form of publication of industrial design information is the IP Australia website. The main page is https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs.
In particular, applicants can access the search guide and information via the HELP button located on Australian Design Search:
The Designs Examiners’ Manual of Practice and Procedure is also available as a resource, which can also be accessed through the Australian Design Search: https://manuals.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs
In part 2.2 of the Designs Examiners’ Manual of Practice and Procedure, Registration processes provide applicants with information on filing/ submitting applications through Online Services portal, the Business 2 Business interface or in paper form, either by post or in person: https://manuals.ipaustralia.gov.au/design/registration-process
Applicants for designs are encouraged to apply via electronic means through the Online Services portal. If the applicant is unable to access those online services, there are other means including by post. A higher fee structure may apply in these circumstances.
Registration and application bibliographical data is available via the Australian Design Search system: https://search.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs/search/quick
IP Australia uses a system of classification based on the International Classification for Industrial Designs (known also as the Locarno Classification System because it is based on the Locarno Agreement).
Australia is not a party to the Locarno Agreement, but IP Australia still uses the system to classify designs as much as possible within Australian legislative requirements and restrictions: https://manuals.ipaustralia.gov.au/design/classification-systems
IP Australia provides information on the availability of a grace period protection for those who accidentally publish, or those who were unaware they needed to file for protection before disclosure. For example, a designer who unintentionally publishes a design on social media can still seek protection for it within the 12 months period provided it meets the criteria listed within the grace period provisions: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs/applying-for-a-design/grace-period
Information on the following topics is desired:
The primary form of publication of industrial design information is the IP Australia website. The main page is https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs. The content available ranges from design rights facts, guides and tutorials to the Online Services portal.
The Official Journal is available online: http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/edesign/epublish/search_page.jsp? and contains the following announcements:
Offers of surrendering a design are not available on the official journal in the Supplement to the Australian Official Journal of Designs in PDF format.
PDF back copies of The Australian Official Journal of Designs up to March 2016 can be accessed at the following URL: http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/epublish/content/olsDesignPDFs.jsp
IP Australia’s Designs examiners have access to information (both not available to the public, and available to the public) via our Rights in One (RiO), a Pega system, and AWS S3 storage. IP Australia also uses WIPO Digital Access Services (WIPO DAS) information. The coverage of information available to examiners includes documents on the file that are not publicly available (such as information relating to before a design is registered or published).
The following information is both publicly available and available to examiners:
The following information is not publicly available prior to registration, but is available to examiners:
More information is available at: https://manuals.ipaustralia.gov.au/design/publication-and-file-access--overview
In addition, IP Australia publishes the Designs Manual of Practice and Procedure at https://manuals.ipaustralia.gov.au/design to assist with examination.
Bibliographic data and images for registered designs post-1972 are available, free of charge via:
The legal status information of designs is available via Australian Design Search or via Australian Design Search API:
Since joining DESIGNview in September 2021, design information from IP Australia (including legal status information) is also available via EUIPO DESIGNview: https://www.tmdn.org/tmdsview-web/#/dsview/news
No comment provided.
Information on the following topics is desired:
B2B API channel: Allows professional IP service providers to submit new applications and manage IPRs via APIs: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/apis
Order Management Workbench (OMW): An internal web-based interface which allows formalities staff to enter paper-based applications and manually correct issues and errors with filings. It is a purpose-built java application.
Rights In One (RIO): The primary business system for design administration and examination. It runs on a PEGA Case Management system.
MS Teams and SharePoint have been introduced as our primary collaboration technologies.
Online Services and B2B via API IPR application and management tools are cloud based.
IP Australia’s legacy systems have been moved off-premises and moved into offsite, commercial, shared data centres and high available containerised architecture has been applied to majority of critical business applications.
IP Australia use commercial laptops with Windows 11 Operating system and MS365 office productivity tools.
IP Australia’s online and B2B via API IP Rights application and management tools are all cloud based.
Legacy systems have been moved off-premises and moved into offsite, commercial, shared data centres and high available containerised architecture has been applied to majority of business-critical applications.
The primary business system is the Rights In One (RIO) which runs in a cloud environment. The primary internal database is the Designs Register (which contains information that is not publicly-available).
Once the design is registered the information is available via Australian Designs Search. IP Australia also has access to the WIPO DAS to supplement the information available for internal use.
Designs examiners at IP Australia generate search files from a variety of internally and externally available sources of data. Search information is recorded and stored via the Rights in One system referred to above.
The Rights in One system conducts regular automatic updates that will update and sync the search files generated by examiners.
Design examiners search the following databases and resources external to records generated by IP Australia:
The administrative team at IP Australia also use the same Rights In One system for management of electronic records, administrative support and workflow.
No comment provided.
Information on the following topics is desired:
All Australian IP rights records/documents are handled in accordance with IP Australia office procedures set down under Australian Law in archival and record management practices.
Australian Designs data is retrievable using the web-based Australian Designs Search Interface: https://search.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs/search/quick
IP Australia provides useful tools and information on a wide range of information related to intellectual property via IP Australia’s website (http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/) including:
IP Australia provides guidelines and resources on how to search existing designs in Australia and internationally at https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/design-rights/how-to-search-existing-designs.
Engagement activities are targeted into the following groups:
Overview of primary engagement activity types:
Ongoing promotion is conducted via social media, email subscription newsletters and proactive message multiplier networks such as peak industry bodies and other government organisations.
IP Australia takes a strategic approach to engagement with small business by establishing a partnership network across government, universities and industry associations, leveraging their networks and the credibility they have in IP Australia’s target audience of start-ups and small to medium enterprises.
This year we are trialling a limited series of podcasts targeted at small business, start-ups and entrepreneurs. The 4 part series will cover:
Please refer to comments in previous section, noting particularly Hybrid Presentations and Workshops (30-45 minutes) above.
No comment provided.
Information on the following topics is desired:
International exchange of IP rights information is publicly available using IP Australia’s bulk data products: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/doing-business-us/bulk-data-products
The Australian Design Search API allows you to search for Australian designs and retrieve data displayed on the Australian Design Search website. The API Developer Portal can be accessed at https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/apis.
IP Australia in engaged with the Committee of WIPO Standards (CWS) and participates in the development and application of standards for IP Offices to exchange data in automated, machine-readable ways. IP Australia is also involved in various non-CWS task forces, workshops and projects.
In particular, IP Australia participates in the Digital Transformation Task Force, which is reviewing proposed updates relating to trade mark and design rights in WIPO Standard ST.92, relating to the exchange of priority documentation.
No comment provided.
No comment provided.
No comment provided.
Note: For each Standard listed below, please enter one of the following values:
WIPO Standard ST.3: Two-letter codes for the representation of states, other entities and organizations
Implemented
Please provide more details based on your selection.
WIPO Standard ST.13: Numbering of applications for IPRs
No plan to implement
The serial number length does not comply with recommendation. There are no plans to change this at present.
WIPO Standard ST.80: Bibliographic data relating to industrial designs
Implemented
Please provide more details based on your selection.
WIPO Standard ST.81: Content and layout of industrial designs gazettes
No plan to implement
IP Australia is substantially compliant with ST.81 with only a few exceptions. These are not considered significant enough to consider full compliance a priority.
WIPO Standard ST.86: Processing of industrial design information using XML
Implemented
Please provide more details based on your selection.
WIPO Standard ST.87: The exchange of industrial design legal status data
No plan to implement
IP Australia has provided feedback on the events and how they map to Australia's designs system. This will be a good starting point if IP Australia decided to implement ST.87 in the future, but there are no such plans at present.
WIPO Standard ST.88: Electronic representation of industrial designs
Implemented
Please provide more details based on your selection.
WIPO Standard ST.90: Recommendation for processing and communicating Intellectual Property data using Web APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)
No plan to implement
IP Australia follows ST.90 only for external-facing interactions following WIPO Standards requiring XML.
WIPO Standard ST.91: Recommendations on digital three-dimensional (3D) models and 3D images
No plan to implement
PDF-format 3D models and 3D specimens are only used as an aide for examination. 3D models and 3D images do not form part of the AU publication.
WIPO Standard ST.96: Processing of Industrial Property information using XML
No plan to implement
IP Australia follows ST.96 only for external-facing API interactions when for WIPO/IB consumption.
Note: Please list any other WIPO Standards related to industrial designs (not mentioned above) that your Office or Organization has implemented, is currently in the process of implementing, or plans to implement in the future. For each Standard, please indicate the implementation status with an option: Implemented, On implementation Phase or Planning to Implement.
Please provide more details.
Please insert links to specific pages on your website where the above information is posted in English, French, or Spanish. See other requirements above. You may also provide text instead of links.
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