Pipers Bulletins

Pipers issues a bulletin on a monthly basis providing a summary of recent developments in intellectual property law and practice in Australasia and other key countries and regions such as USA, UK, Europe and Asia.  Below are links to articles in the latest bulletin. Previous issues can be accessed via the left pane navigation.

Contents Summary of Latest Bulletin

1. Patents

Australia

Has the Full Court Artificially Rejected AI Inventorship?
In Commissioner of Patents v Thaler 2022 FCAFC 62 a full bench of the Full Court allowed the Commissioner’s appeal and held that an artificial intelligence system or machine cannot be named as an inventor for a patent.
 

2. Plant Variety Rights

New Zealand

Draft Plant Variety Rights Regulations and Fees Released
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has now released an exposure draft for the Plant Variety Rights Regulations 2022 along with associated material, including a fees discussion document.
 

3. Trade Marks

European Union

EU Commission Publishes Proposed GI Regulations for Non-Agricultural Products
Further to the earlier notified EU consultation on extending geographical indication (GI) protection to non-agricultural products, the EU has now proposed a framework to protect craft and industrial products that rely on the originality and authenticity of traditional practices from their regions.
 

New Zealand

Registration Shield Evades Issues with Establishing Reputation
In Toyota New Zealand Limited v Vanguard Trademark Holdings USA LLC 2022 NZIPOTM 9 Vanguard had mixed results, but its class 39 registration proved sufficient against core aspects of Toyota’s goods and services specifications in classes 12 and 35.