The dispute between Sachin Tendulkar and Australian bat-maker Spartan Sports over a breach of a sponsorship agreement has ended with Spartan paying a hefty settlement sum, cancelling valuable trade marks and delivering a public apology. This case shows the risks of public disputes with high-profile celebrities. ...

Music duo Glass Candy and airline Air France were found to have infringed the copyright in the iconic 'Love is in the Air' with the songs 'Warm in the Winter' and 'France is in the Air'. With a number of issues unresolved, this remains a case to watch. ...

The Australian Government has launched a review of the accessibility of patents for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which follows the phasing-out of the innovation patent system in Australia. ...

Two important developments have unfolded over the past week. The InIP editors report ...

Patent offices in the UK and Europe, UKIPO and EPO have rejected Stephen Thaler's DABUS application naming artificial intelligence as inventors. Both patent offices found that DABUS, being a machine, could hold no rights and could not transfer any rights as the inventor to the applicant as successor ...

This Insight examines the consequences of a patent dispute concerning a patent for a 'fence plinth'. This dispute highlights some of the key elements of any patent dispute such as how meaning of ordinary terms in the patent must be understood in the context of the whole patent specification. ...

A recent Federal Court decision imposed significant pecuniary penalties on a franchisor as well as its sole director and national franchising manager for unfair dealings with franchisees ...

The Full Federal Court has overturned the trial decision in Crown Resorts Limited v Zantran Pty Limited [2020] FCAFC 1, and cast further light on the enforceability of employee confidentiality agreements in the context of civil litigation. ...

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is planning to prioritise five key product safety issues fitting broadly within the categories of the Takata airbag recall, safety risks for infants and children, and e-commerce. We report on what is planned for 2020. ...

The Federal Court has ruled that adopting distinctive branding may not be enough to get a trader out of hot water if the get-up of the trader's products is similar to somebody else's. ...