A pending trade mark application concerning the Indigenous term 'gumby gumby' highlights the controversies that arise at the intersection of intellectual property rights and Indigenous culture. ...

They're both pirates! At least, that is video production company Nautilus Production's allegation before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), which has been asked to ponder the copyright in materials relating to Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship belonging to infamous pirate Blackbeard. ...

For a celebrity, your name is your business. It is no surprise then that celebrities will go to great lengths to protect their brand. This is clear from a recent flurry of A-list trade mark activity including by the likes of Kim Kardashian West, Kylie Jenner and Beyoncé. ...

A recent NSW Court of Appeal decision emphasises the importance of contractors complying with contractual requirements to obtain the principal's approval before subcontracting services or works. Failure to do so may disentitle the contractor from claiming payment for services that the unauthorised subcontractors have provided. However, the case leaves open whether it may be possible for a contractor to recover the cost of unauthorised subcontracted services in restitution based on a quantum meruit claim, or on the basis of an unenforceable penalty. ...

The proposed regulatory framework for offshore wind and other clean energy technologies and associated infrastructure in Commonwealth waters looks to be modelled on the regulation of offshore petroleum, with some key differences. ...

A number of industries and issues are in the spotlight following release of the ACCC's 2020 Enforcement and Compliance Priorities by Chairman Rod Sims on 25 February. ...

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has decided that a knee injury sustained by an employee when he was 'lightly jogging' to the staff bus after his shift had arisen out of his employment. ...

The Fair Work Commission has ordered the reinstatement of an employee following inconsistencies in an employer's 'zero-tolerance' policy regarding drug and alcohol use. ...

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. ...