Updates on Single Economic Market Patent Outcomes

18 January 2013

In October 2011 IP Australia and IPONZ agreed on a three-year implementation plan to improve the way patent applications are processed and examined. The three year implementation plan has three main stages:

• working sharing,
• single application process and
• single examiner process.

The primary goals of the single application and single examiner processes are to remove duplication and drive efficiencies.

Since agreeing to the implementation plan, both offices have made good progress in understanding each other’s' patent application and examination processes.

Key to this work is the passage of the NZ Patents Bill 2008 which will more closely align the patents laws of New Zealand and Australia, and enable these patent outcomes to be progressed. IP Australia is working with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and IPONZ to develop legislative amendments to allow these initiatives to be implemented.

More information:

• About Single Economic Market (SEM)
• Updates from some of the Patent’s works to date 

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