Companies should seek to make the most of their intangible assets. One way to do this is to use intellectual property assets as collateral to access funding. IP-rich businesses, SMEs and start-ups should keep this potential avenue in mind. ...

In a highly anticipated decision, the Full Bench of the Australian Federal Court recently dismissed the appeal in Encompass Corporation v InfoTrack. Despite the opportunity to clarify the scope of patentability of computer-implemented inventions, the question of what encompasses patentable subject matter remains open. ...

In a trail-blazing and world-leading move, the ACCC has commenced proceedings against Google, alleging that it engaged in misleading conduct, and made false or misleading representations to consumers about how and when it collects, keeps and uses their personal information in relation to location data. It is the first case brought globally to probe Google's approach to location data collection, and is likely to increase the focus on consumer awareness of data use in digital markets. ...

The fund financing market in Australia continued to be buoyant in 2019. Private equity, infrastructure and real estate funds remain the main drivers of volume, with an increasing number of newly raised as well as existing private debt funds also capitalising on the market's additional liquidity and ...

A parliamentary inquiry has been announced into whether Australia should introduce a legislation authorising the government to impose sanctions against gross human right abusers. ...

Federal Court hangs up on ACCC over TPG pre-payments; ACCC calls for more claret-y between winemakers and growers; and Viva/Liberty deal gets green light ...

The busy run experienced by private equity managers in Australia in the last couple of years slowed down considerably in 2019. As a result, having raised record sized funds, private equity managers will be under considerable pressure from their institutional investors to start deploying more capital ...

In this update we summarise the progress of new and existing rule change requests across October 2019 and take a closer look at the AER's Financial Reporting Guideline for light regulation pipelines. ...

This insight examines the Product Stewardship Amendment (Packaging and Plastics) Bill 2019 which aims to combat the use of single-use elastics in Australia by establishing a mandatory product stewardship scheme for manufacturers, importers and distributors. ...

The Productivity Commission is examining resources sector regulation, with a focus on identifying opportunities to simplify approval processes without compromising environmental standards or community expectations. ...