Patents accessibility review

Date published:

1 May 2021

Topics

Industry innovation

Publisher

Department of Industry, Science and Resources

We commissioned Emeritus Professor Raoul Mortley AO to review the accessibility of the Australian patents system. This was part of the Australian Government’s work to improve our intellectual property (IP) framework.

The independent review focussed on Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the barriers they face to protect innovations in Australia and overseas.

Themes emerging from the review:

Small inventors need commercialisation and patenting advice.
Fear of litigation costs are turning people away from the patenting system.
The export of IP by Australian small businesses is crucial for Australia.

Findings and recommendations

The review report outlines 3 key findings and 16 recommendations.

It found that government patenting support is adequate, but IP awareness remains low among SMEs. Professor Mortley recommends proactive government outreach to engage SMEs with the patenting system.