IP Law Reform in Australia: A Story of Mixed Successes and Failures

摘要

Australia's intellectual property (IP) laws have proliferated since Federation, when responsibility for these laws was given to the new Commonwealth Parliament. Many of these have been imported from abroad, in particular the United Kingdom, or have been adopted as a consequence of Australia's international engagements. Increasingly, however, IP law and policy-making has assumed a distinctly Australian character, and IP laws have moved towards the centre of national innovation and development policy. The history of IP law reform has been a mixed one, with both highs and lows, but there is now much greater awareness of the need for well-functioning and effective IP laws. This expanded version of the 2019 Francis Gurry Lecture reviews Australia's past successes and failures in IP law reform, and considers the lessons for the future.