AUSTRALIA - TRADE MARKS BILL 2006
The Trade Marks Bill 2006 was tabled on 21 June 2006. The aim of the Bill is to strengthen trade marks protection in Australia.
One of the aims of the Bill is to reduce the administrative burden on trade mark applicants, and to more closely align the various procedures for intellectual property protection in Australia.
Some main aims of the bill are:
1. To re-instate the power of the Commissioner of Trade Marks to institute court proceedings, where these are considered to be in the public’s interest. Such powers could be used, for example, where a mark has become generic;
2. To remove the significant cost barriers in requesting Customs to seize counterfeit goods;
3. To enable trade mark owners to deal with certain simple matters telephonically with IP Australia.
Any queries regarding the 2006 Bill should be addressed to updates@acacialaw.com
Article posted on www.acacialaw.com on 9 August 2006
