WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION  
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DU COMMERCE  
ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO  IP/N/1/AUS/D/2/Add.1 
IP/N/1/AUS/P/5/Add.1 
IP/N/1/AUS/T/3/Add.1 
21 December 2007 
 (07-5756) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
 Original:   English/  anglais/  inglés
 
 
MAIN DEDICATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY  
LAWS AND REGULATIONS NOTIFIED UNDER  
ARTICLE 63.2 OF THE AGREEMENT 
 
AUSTRALIA 
 
Addendum  
 
 The present document reproduces the text1 of the Intellectual Prope rty Laws Amendment Act 
2003 - No.48, 2003, notified by Australia under Article 63.2 of the Agreement (see document 
IP/N/1/AUS/2).  
 
Conseil des aspects des droits de propriété 
intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce  
PRINCIPALES LOIS ET RÉGLEMENTATIONS CONSACRÉES À LA  
PROPRIÉTÉ INTELLECTUELLE NOTIFIÉES AU TITRE  
DE L'ARTICLE 63:2 DE L'ACCORD 
 
AUSTRALIE 
 
Addendum
 
 
 Le présent document contient le texte1 de la Loi n° 48 de 2003 portant modification des lois 
sur la propriété intellectuelle, notifiée par l'Australi e au titre de l'article 63:2 de l'Accord (voir le 
document IP/N/1/AUS/2).  
 
Consejo de los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad 
Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio  
 
PRINCIPALES LEYES Y REGLAMENTOS DEDICADOS A LA  
PROPIEDAD INTELECTUAL NOTIFICADOS EN VIRTUD  
DEL PÁRRAFO 2 DEL ARTÍCULO 63 DEL ACUERDO 
 
AUSTRALIA 
 
Addendum  
 
 En el presente documento se reproduce el texto1 de la Ley de Modificación de las Leyes sobre 
Propiedad Intelectual de 2003 - Nº 48, 2003, notifica do por Australia en virtud de lo dispuesto en el 
párrafo 2 del artículo 63 del Acuerdo (véase el documento IP/N/1/AUS/2). 
                                                      
1 In English only./En anglais seulement./En inglés solamente. IP/N/1/AUS/D/2/Add.1 
IP/N/1/AUS/P/5/Add.1 IP/N/1/AUS/T/3/Add.1 
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Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Act 2003  
 
No.48, 2003 
__________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
An Act to amend legislation relating to intellectual property, and for related purposes  IP/N/1/AUS/D/2/Add.1 
 IP/N/1/AUS/P/5/Add.1  IP/N/1/AUS/T/3/Add.1 
 Page 3 
  
  Contents 
 
 1 Short title 
 
 2 Commencement   3 Schedule(s)  Schedule 1—Amendments relating to extensions of time 
 
 Designs Act 1906 
  Patents Act 1990 
 
 Trade Marks Act 1995 
 
Schedule 2—Other amendments 
 
     Part 1—Disclosure of searches 
 
 Patents Act 1990 
 
     Part 2—Definition of employee   Trade Marks Act 1995 
 
     Part 3—Technical amendment  
 Patents Amendment (Innovation Patents) Act 2000 
 IP/N/1/AUS/D/2/Add.1 
IP/N/1/AUS/P/5/Add.1 IP/N/1/AUS/T/3/Add.1 
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Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Act 2003  
 
No.48, 2003 
__________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
An Act to amend legislation relating to intellectual property, and for related purposes 
 
[Assented to 26 June 2003 ] 
 The Parliament of Australia enacts:  
1  Short title 
 
 This Act may be cited as the Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Act 2003 . 
 
2  Commencement 
 
(1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have 
commenced, on the day or at the time sp ecified in column 2 of the table. 
 
Commencement information 
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 
Provision(s) Commen cement Date/Details 
1.  Sections 1 to 3 and 
anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table The day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent 26 June 2003 
2.  Schedule 1 The 28th day after th e day on which this Act receives the 
Royal Assent 24 July 2003 
3.  Schedule 2, Part 1 A single day to be fixed by Proclamation, subject to 
subsection (3) 26 August 2003 
4.  Schedule 2, Part 2 The 28th day af ter the day on which this Act receives the 
Royal Assent 24 July 2003 
5.  Schedule 2, Part 3 Immediat ely after the time specified in the Patents 
Amendment (Innovation Patents) Act 2000 for the 
commencement of item 3 of Schedule 1 to that Act 24 May 2001 
 
 Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Ac t as originally passed by th e Parliament and assented 
to. It will not be expanded to deal with prov isions inserted in this Act after assent. 
 
     (2) Column 3 of the table is for additional information that is not part of this Act. This 
information may be included in an y published version of this Act.  IP/N/1/AUS/D/2/Add.1 
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     (3) If a provision covered by item 3 of the table does not commence within the period of 2 
months beginning on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent, it commences on 
the first day after the end of that period. 
 
3  Schedule(s) 
 
 Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this  Act is amended or repealed as set out in the 
applicable items in the Schedule concerned, an d any other item in a Schedule to this Act has 
effect according to its terms. 
 
 
Schedule 1—Amendments relating to extensions of time 
   
Designs Act 1906 
 
1  Subsection 27B(1) 
 
     Repeal the subsection, substitute: 
 
     (1) The Registrar must extend the time for doi ng a relevant act that is required to be done within 
a certain time if the act is not, or cannot be, done within that time because of an error or omission by: 
 
 (a) the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar; or 
  (b) a person employed in the Designs Office; or  
(c)        a person providing, or proposing to provide, services for the benefit of the Designs 
Office. 
 Patents Act 1990 
 
2  Subsection 223(1) 
      Repeal the subsection, substitute: 
      (1) The Commissioner must extend the time fo r doing a relevant act that is required to be done 
within a certain time if the act is not, or cannot  be, done within that time because of an error 
or omission by: 
 
 (a) the Commissioner or a Deputy Commissioner; or 
  (b) an employee; or   (c) a person providing, or proposing to provide, services for the benefit of the Patent 
Office. 
 IP/N/1/AUS/D/2/Add.1 
IP/N/1/AUS/P/5/Add.1 IP/N/1/AUS/T/3/Add.1 
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  Trade Marks Act 1995 
 
3  Reader’s Guide (list of terms defined in section 6) 
 
     Omit “trade marks officer”.  
4  Section 6 (definition of trade marks officer) 
      Repeal the definition. 
 
5  Subsection 224(1) (including the note) 
 
     Repeal the subsection, substitute: 
 
     (1) The Registrar must extend the time for doing a relevant act that is required by this Act to be 
done within a certain time if the act is not, or  cannot be, done within that time because of an 
error or omission by: 
  (a) the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar; or 
 
 (b) an employee; or   (c) a person providing, or proposing to pr ovide, services for the benefit of the Trade 
Marks Office. 
 
 
Schedule 2—Other amendments 
 
Part 1—Disclosure of searches 
 
Patents Act 1990 
 
1  Section 3 (list of definitions) 
 
     Insert “foreign patent office”.  2  Subsection 45(3) 
 
     Repeal the subsection, substitute:       (3) The applicant must inform the Commi ssioner, in accordance with the regulations, of the 
results of the following searches carried out for the purpose of assessing the patentability of 
an invention disclosed in the complete specification or a corresponding application filed outside Australia: 
  (a) any documentary searches by, or on behalf of, a foreign patent office, other than 
searches prescribed by the regulations; 
  (b) the documentary searches prescribed by the regulations.       (4) Subsection (3) only applies to search es completed before the grant of the patent.  IP/N/1/AUS/D/2/Add.1 
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     (5) In subsection (4): 
 
 completed , in relation to a search, has the meaning prescribed by the regulations. 
 
3  Section 101D 
 
     Repeal the section, substitute: 
 
101D  Commissioner to be given information on searches 
 
     (1) The patentee must inform the Commissione r, in accordance with the regulations, of the results 
of the following searches carried out for the purpose of assessing the patentability of an 
invention disclosed in the complete specifica tion or a corresponding application filed outside 
Australia: 
  (a) any documentary searches by, or on behalf of, a foreign patent office, other than 
searches prescribed by the regulations; 
 
 (b) the documentary searches prescribed by the regulations. 
      (2) Subsection (1) only applies to searches completed before the issue of a certificate of 
examination in respect of the patent. 
 
     (3) In subsection (2): 
 
 completed , in relation to a search, has the meaning prescribed by the regulations. 
  
4  Schedule 1 (Dictionary) 
 
     Insert: 
 
 foreign patent office  means an office, organisation or other body that may grant protection in 
respect of an invention in a foreign country. 
 
5  Application 
 
(1) The amendment made by item 2 of this Schedul e applies in relation to an application if the 
patent request and complete specification in rela tion to that application had not been accepted 
under subsection 49(1) of the Patents Act 1990  before 1 April 2002. 
 
(2) The amendment made by item 3 of this Schedul e applies in relation to  an innovation patent 
unless the Commissioner had started examination of the patent under section 101B of the 
Patents Act 1990  before 1 April 2002. 
 
(3) For the purposes of subitem (1), inform ation given before commencement under old 
subsection 45(3) is taken to be inform ation given under new subsection 45(3). 
 (4) For the purposes of subitem (2), inform ation given before commencement under old 
section 101D is taken to be inform ation given under new section 101D. IP/N/1/AUS/D/2/Add.1 
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  (5) In this item: 
 
 commencement  means the time of commencement of Part 1 of this Schedule. 
 
 new section 101D means section 101D of the Patents Act 1990  as in force immediately after 
commencement. 
 
 new subsection 45(3)  means subsection 45(3) of the Patents Act 1990  as in force immediately 
after commencement. 
 
 old section 101D means section 101D of the Patents Act 1990  as in force immediately before 
commencement. 
 
 old subsection 45(3)  means subsection 45(3) of the Patents Act 1990  as in force immediately 
before commencement. 
 
Part 2—Definition of employee 
 Trade Marks Act 1995 
 
6  Section 6 (definition of employee) 
 
     Repeal the definition, substitute: 
 
 employee  means a person, other than the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar, who: 
  (a) is a person engaged under the Public Service Act 1999 and is employed in the Trade 
Marks Office; or 
  (b) is not such a person but performs services,  in the Trade Marks Office, for or on behalf 
of the Commonwealth. 
 
7  Subsection 206(1) 
 
     Omit “class, employed in the Trade Marks Office”, substitute “class”. 
 
Part 3—Technical amendment 
 Patents Amendment (Innovation Patents) Act 2000  8  Item 3 of Schedule 1 
 
     After “section” insert, “(other than Tables 1 and 2)”. __________________________________________________________________________________  [Minister’s second reading speech made in— 
House of Representatives on 27 June 2002 
Senate on 16 June 2003 ] 
 (147/02) 
__________