Protecting your business’ intellectual property (IP) is a key part of your business’ success. Your brand is the very core of your business, so you must protect it. This means protecting elements of your brand with a trade mark, which provide you with exclusive rights to the use of your trade mark. The trade mark […]
When registering a trade mark, Australia’s intellectual property (IP) office, IP Australia, are required to assess your trade mark. For example, this includes ensuring that your trade mark meets the legislative requirements to be registered as a trade mark. In particular, there are stringent rules for trade marks used in the financial services industry. This […]
China is Australia’s largest trading partner, with two-way trade between China and Australia contributing to more than 24% of Australia’s total trade for the 2017-18 financial year. Therefore, when developing your business and determining its growth, you must account for potential expansion into China and the best way to protect your trade mark when doing […]
Section 44 of the Trade Marks Act refers to trade marks that conflict with trade marks that are already registered or pending registration. Therefore, if your trade mark does not meet section 44 upon examination, you will need to address this by supplying relevant evidence to overcome this objection. When providing section 44 evidence, there […]
More and more Australian businesses are expanding their products and services to overseas markets in this increasingly globalised world, either directly or online. Having an international trade mark is a great way to protect your brand during your overseas business practices. To help you better understand international trade marks, this article will take you through […]
Franchising is an increasingly popular business model in Australia, with franchises employing over half a million people and annual revenue exceeding $100 billion across more than 1,300 franchises nationwide. With the intellectual property (IP) of a business forming its entire brand identity, trade marks are the foundation of franchises. Therefore, whether you are a franchisor […]
Your intellectual property (IP) is an asset, and like all other assets of your business, you must manage it properly to get the most out of it. Identifying and protecting your IP is only the first step in the life-cycle of your IP. There are a number of different approaches or methods you can take […]
Unless you intend to trade under your own name, you must register your business name. However, it is important to note that registering your business name does not automatically give you rights over the name. If you want to have exclusive rights to your business name, you will need to apply to register a trade […]
Registering a trade mark is a great way to build your business and protect your brand. However, it is important that you research the market to ensure that your trade mark is unique. A trade mark search is essential to the success of your trade mark application. A thorough search will do more than help […]
Intellectual property (IP) is the most important asset of your business. Your IP helps distinguish your goods or services from all of your competitors, forming a critical part of your brand and business identity. If you are buying or selling a business or transferring any aspect of ownership of your business, it is important to change […]