Patent e-filings at IP Australia Introduced

IP Australia has commenced accepting PCT national phase entries and standard patent applications by electronic means. Taking advantage of the e-filing interface allows the applicant to utilise a reduced official fee ($370 instead of $470 for paper filings).

To complete an electronic filing it is necessary to provide full entitlement details. Accordingly the following information is required with all filing instructions.

• Confirmation that the applicant has entitlement from the actual inventor(s) by assignment, agreement, inventorship law; or
• if entitlement has been transferred from the inventor(s) to the applicant by other means, please provide details.
• Confirmation that the Australian applicant is also the applicant of the priority application(s);or
• details of how entitlement from the applicant(s) of the priority application(s) has been transferred to the Australian applicant (eg assignment, agreement etc).
• Confirmation that the priority application(s) was(were) the first application(s) filed in a Convention country in respect of the invention.

Providing this information with filing instructions will avoid extra cost associated with obtaining this information and will avoid the need to file the application incurring the higher official fee.

Please contact your Watermark attorney if you have any questions.