FMCG Express | September 2021 Edition
The first half of the year brought signs that the business malaise post-COVID-19 was beginning to lift, however, we are seeing ongoing disruption facing the FMCG sector. We are finally seeing some green shoots with the end of lockdown on the horizon. In this edition, the team explores the evolution of the digital consumer experience; […]
ReadmoreDirect ‘.au’ domain names are coming. Threat or opportunity?
After being on the cards for several years, the administrator of the .au country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), au Domain Administration Limited (auDA), has recently announced the launch of .au direct registrations in the ‘second level’ (e.g. gadens.au) effective from 24 March 2022. Separately, the Australian Government is currently reviewing the terms on which it […]
Readmore‘A reasonable and commercial construction?’ Patent time extensions after Ono Pharmaceuticals
The Federal Court of Australia has ordered the Commissioner of Patents to grant Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS) a patent term extension (PTE) for cancer drug Opdivo until 2031, providing certainty to industry around Australia’s intellectual property regime. Background BMS and Ono Pharmaceutical sought judicial review by the Federal Court of Australia after the Australian Patents […]
ReadmoreNew wave of litigation expected to hit Australia’s eroding shoreline
Last week, the Federal Court of Australia embarked on what is predicted to be a landmark decision, in the matter of AGL v Greenpeace Australia Pacific (Greenpeace). The case involves allegations by AGL that Greenpeace infringed its trademark rights and copyright when it featured AGL’s logo in a recent ad campaign, designed to pressure the […]
ReadmoreFMCG Express | May 2021 Edition
2021 certainly started with a bang; we are seeing a significant boost in appetite for advice right across our FMCG client base, including a lot of M&A activity, and we are excited to see how the year ahead unfolds. In the May 2021 edition of FMCG Express, editor Hazel McDwyer and the Gadens team provide […]
ReadmoreKraft v Bega – Key intellectual property and contractual takeaways for transactions
Since our coverage of the Kraft vs. Bega battle in our September 2019 edition of FMCG Express, the battle between food giants Bega and Kraft made it all the way to the High Court of Australia! The High Court recently refused special leave to appeal by Kraft, ultimately ruling in favour of Bega and upholding […]
ReadmoreHigh Court adopts Exhaustion Doctrine for patent products, jettisoning the ‘implied licence doctrine’ in Australia
On 12 November 2020 the High Court delivered its much anticipated decision in Calidad Pty Ltd v Seiko Epson Corporation [2020] HCA (Calidad v Seiko). This decision is about patent rights and the extent to which they apply following the first sale of patented goods to a purchaser. When a patented product is first sold, […]
ReadmoreFMCG Express | October Edition
2020 continues to be an interesting year with COVID-19 still impacting our lives and businesses, although we are cautiously optimistic that we may be turning a corner here in Australia. In this edition of FMCG Express, we bring you some useful COVID-19 reading as we grapple with the ongoing effects of the pandemic and look […]
ReadmoreHealthEngine decision: understanding the overlap between privacy and consumer laws
We have seen a recent overseas trend by EU and US based competition regulators to address privacy related matters within a broader competition context. This is not something we have seen occurring in Australia to any great extent although the recent introduction of the Consumer Data Right has seen both the Office of the Australian […]
ReadmoreThe Singapore Convention Has Now Entered Into Force
Purpose One of the major roadblocks for parties contemplating mediation of cross-border commercial disputes has been the uncertainty, cost and/or delay in enforcing a breach of a term of mediated settlement agreement. This has often resulted in parties to a commercial cross-border dispute resorting to court/curial focused litigation or indeed foreign arbitral proceedings which are […]
ReadmoreNew Trade Promotions Regulation in NSW
New South Wales has introduced a new regulation governing trade promotions. Here’s how it will affect you. The new Regulation As noted in our recent update, the Community Gaming Regulation 2020 (NSW) took effect on 1 July 2020. While the NSW government had consulted with stakeholders on a draft of the Regulation, significant changes were […]
ReadmoreCOVID-19 | The COVID-19 pivot – avoiding the trade mark pitfalls
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed several aspects of life, including how many businesses operate. It is no longer unusual to see cafés selling condiments and expanding to home delivery and catering. Restaurants are selling groceries and delivering meal tool kits; everyday household items can be purchased from fast food chains; and live event stage designers […]
Readmore
