New IP law implements WTO standards on protection
The Australian Government’s amendments to its domestic Patents Act from 1990 bring the country’s laws in line with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) intellectual property standards, the Government has announced.
Minister Greg Combet
In a statement, the Government said the new measures would strengthen the country’s intellectual property protections in law.
The Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill 2013 passed through its House of Representatives today, amending the country’s Patents Act from 1990.
The amendments harmonise the law with the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property.
Greg Combet MP said the law strikes the right balance between encouraging innovation and ensuring the community has access to new technologies.
"This Bill will clarify that the Government can intervene in circumstances such as where a patent would deny patients reasonable access to health care services, including gene-based cancer screening," he said.
In a statement, the Government said the news laws created “a more streamlined business environment between Australia and New Zealand by more closely aligning the two countries' patent systems to enable a single patent attorney regime, and single patent examination and application processes.”