IP Australia has released a report examining how businesses and individuals interacted with intellectual property rights in the COVID-19 environment.
Director General of IP Australia, Michael Schwager (pictured) said the ninth edition of IP Australia’s Australian Intellectual Property (IP) Report provided a platform for discussion on how best to encourage all kinds of creative activity to Australia’s benefit.
“Analysis in this Report, undertaken by IP Australia’s Office of the Chief Economist, and underlying data provide vital insight into the way that businesses and individuals engage with Australia’s IP system, from within Australia and around the world,” Mr Schwager said.
“2020 was an unprecedented year, as businesses had to overcome significant challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
“Through this uncertainty, our IP system has played an important role in providing Australians the confidence to innovate, by ensuring that they can protect their innovations and brands both in Australia and abroad.”
Mr Schwager said new evidence presented in the Report underscored the economic importance of IP rights.
“In 2020, Australia saw a record number of trade mark applications filed, driven by a growing number of Australian applications, illustrating the importance that business places on brand protection,” the Director General said.
He said IP Australia worked with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications to include a chapter on the value of copyright to the Australian economy for the first time.
Mr Schwager said the chapter provided a deeper overview of the Australian IP landscape and the value IP contributed to the economy.
The IP Australia Report can be viewed online at this PS News link.
