Joint Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science - Improving Intellectual Property Arrangements
25 August 2017
Improving Intellectual Property
Arrangements
The Turnbull
Government is improving Australia’s intellectual property (IP) arrangements by
ensuring they provide the flexibility needed for our 21st century economy.
The Minister
for Industry, Innovation and Science, Senator Arthur Sinodinos, and Minister
for Communications, Senator Mitch Fifield, said the proposed Australian
Government changes responded to a recent Productivity Commission review of IP.
The
Government will engage with industry and stakeholders through consultation to
determine how best to implement the reforms.
As recommended by the Productivity
Commission, IP policy will be monitored by a new IP Policy Group. A key
priority will be to align Australian inventive step law with international best
practice to ensure that the necessary protections are available to deserving
inventions. The Government has also accepted the Productivity Commission’s
recommendation to phase out the Innovation Patent System.
The Government
supports recommendations aimed at facilitating fairer access for Australians to
copyright material, including orphan works and ensuring technological
protection measures do not restrict legitimate contractual rights. The
Government is mindful in this process of the position of rights holders and of
the economic value generated by copyright material.
It is
important copyright reform is considered in a holistic context rather than
focused on individual issues. We will continue to work closely with
stakeholders over the next 12 months to develop effective options for copyright
reform.
The Government is also considering the
merits of a number of other recommendations and will work on these further.
Ministers
Sinodinos and Fifield said that Australia’s IP system is well regarded and
consistently ranks in the top tiers of international comparisons, and that
these reform measures will ensure that Australia remains competitive in
domestic and global marketplaces.
The Government’s response to the
Productivity Commission review, including the planned consultation process, is
available at https://www.industry.gov.au/innovation/Intellectual-Property/Pages/default.aspx