Can I register my personal name as a trade mark? The issue of personal trade marks is becoming increasingly relevant as a result of the burgeoning world of social media influencing where individual identity is paramount.  However, registering a personal name as a trade mark isn’t limited to the digital landscape – it’s an important […]

Choosing a company name or business name is often the starting point for a new venture.  But what’s in a name? There’s much more to the choice – and use – of a company name in Australia than many people realise. a company name is a legal identity a business name identifies the entity’s trading […]

Government has acknowledged that red tape is hindering the country’s productivity and economic growth and has committed to simplifying and streamlining some compliance requirements to enable businesses to use their time and resources more constructively. The trade mark process has been earmarked for potential technical and administrative reforms. Could Australia’s trade mark system be simpler? […]

Seventeen years after music megastar, Katy Perry, and Sydney businesswoman, Katie Jane Taylor (nee Perry) first communicated about their similar names, the High Court of Australia has ruled in favour of the clothing designer. The see-saw battle centred around who had the right to market and sell clothing under the Katie Perry/Katy Perry name in […]

Are you a business owner facing an opposition to your trade mark application? If you’ve answered ‘yes,’ you’ll welcome the recent announcement by IP Australia that the period allowed for filing your Notice of Intention to Defend (NID) has been doubled from one month to two months. This extended deadline came into effect on 19 […]