- Home
- Introduction
- Part 1 - Formalities
- 1. Classification
- 2. Entitlement
- 3. Applicant Name
- 4. Applicant Address
- 5. Address for Service
- 6. (reserved)
- 7. Product Name
- 8. Section 43
- 9. Statement of Newness and Distinctiveness
- 10. Convention Details
- 11. Excluded Design Details
- 12. Registration / Publication Request
- 13. Designer Name
- 14. Representations
- 15. Further Designs
- 16. Amendments
- 17. Formalities Checking Procedure
- Part 2 - Examination
- D01 Citation Index
- D02 (reserved)
- D03 Examination Process
- D03.1 Overview
- D03.2 Requesting examination - requirements
- D03.3 Who may request examination?
- D03.4 Which Designs may be examined?
- D03.5 Court proceedings
- D03.6 Handling concurrent requests for examination
- D03.7 Handling requests for examination when a Certificate of Examination has previously issued
- D03.8 Further reports
- D03.9 Being 'satisfied'
- D03.10 Period for completion of examination
- D03.11 Withdrawal of request for examination
- D03.12 Interface with Court Proceedings
- D03.13 Intention to Certify
- D03.14 Material provided by a 3rd party
- D03.15 3rd Party Initiated Examinations
- D03.16 Revocation during Examination
- D03.17 Expedited Examination
- D04 Identifying the Design
- D04.1 Introduction
- D04.2 Design in relation to a product
- D04.3 What is a product?
- D04.4 Overall appearance, and visual features
- D04.5 Interpretation of representations
- D04.6 Role of a Statement of Newness and Distinctiveness
- D05 Designs which must not be registered
- D05 Designs which must not be registered - s.43, Reg 4.06
- D05.1 s.18 of the Olympic Insignia Protection Act 1987 s.43(1)(b)
- D05.2 Integrated circuits [s.43(1)(c)]
- D05.3 Medals [reg 4.06(a)]
- D05.4 Protection of Word 'Anzac' Regulations
- D05.5 Paper money, securities [reg 4.05(c)]
- D05.6 Scandalous designs
- D05.7 Arms, flag or seal of Australia, state, territory, city or town, public authority or institution, or another country [reg 4.06 (e), (f) and (g)]
- D06 Priority Dates
- D06.1 Background, general issues
- D06.2 Priority date - Convention Applications
- D06.3 Priority date - Excluded Designs
- D06.4 Priority date - Applications by an entitled person (s.52, 53 or 54)
- D06.5 Priority date - Converted Applications
- D07 Prior Art Base
- D07.1 General Information/Background
- D07.2 Publicly used in Australia
- D07.3 Published in a document within or outside Australia
- D07.4 Designs disclosed in applications
- D07.5 Exhibitions, Unauthorised disclosures
- D07.6 Copyright overlap - s.19
- Appendix - Examiner's Worksheet
- D08 Searching
- D09 Assessing Newness and Distinctiveness
- D10 Amendments
- D10.1 Overview
- D10.2 Ambit of s 28 amendments
- D10.3 Ambit of s.66 amendments
- D10.4 Allowabililty - inclusion of matter not in substance disclosed
- D10.5 Allowability - increasing scope of the Design Registration
- D10.6 Amendments of Statement of Newness and Distinctiveness
- D11 Extension of Time - s.137
- D11.1 Introduction
- D11.2 s.137(1) - Error or Omission by the Registrar
- D11.3 s.137(2) - Summary of the Principles of Law
- D11.4 Making the Application - s.137(2)
- D11.5 Registrar's Discretion - s.137(2)
- D11.6 Advertisement of Extension - Subsection 137(4)
- D11.7 Period of Extension to be Granted
- D11.8 Common Deficiencies
- D11.9 Protection and Compensation Arrangements
- D12 Assignment etc of Designs, the Registrar
- D12.1 Introduction
- D12.2 Registering Assignments
- D12.3 Registering other interests
- D12.4 Correction of the Register - Regulation 9.05
- D12.5 Rectification of the Register by a court
- D12.6 Trusts, Bankruptcy, Insolvency
- D13 Ownership Disputes
- D13.1 Overview of ownership disputes
- D13.2 S.29 disputes
- D13.3 S.30 Disputes associated with recording assignments
- D13.4 S.52 Revocation relating to Entitled Persons
- D13.5 Application by Entitled persons after revocation
- D14 Publication, File access
- D14.1 Background, general issues
- D14.2 Documents not publicly available
- D14.3 Interaction with the Freedom of Information Act 1982
- D14.4 Production of documents under s.61(2)
- D14.5 Right of Lien
- D15 Surrender of a Design
- D15.1 Overview
- D15.2 Processing an offer to surrender
- D15.3 Discretionary considerations in Accepting the Offer
- D15.4 Surrender by consent - and ownership matters
- D16 Prohibition Orders
- Part 3 - Classification
- Introduction
- Amendments to the Eleventh Edition of the Locarno Classification
- Amendments to the Tenth Edition of the Locarno Classification
- Class Heading Summary
- Class 01 - Foodstuffs
- Class 02 - Articles of clothing and haberdashery
- Class 03 - Travel goods, cases, parasols and personal belongings not elsewhere specified
- Class 04 - Brushware
- Class 05 - Textile piecegoods, artificial and natural sheet material
- Class 06 - Furnishings
- Class 07 - Household goods not elsewhere specified
- Class 08 - Tools and hardware
- Class 09 - Packages and containers for the transport or handling of goods
- Class 10 - Clocks and watches and other measuring instruments, checking and signalling instruments
- Class 11 - Articles of adornment
- Class 12 - Means of transport or hoisting
- Class 13 - Equipment for production, distribution or transformation of electricity
- Class 14 - Recording, communication or information retrieval equipment
- Class 15 - Machines not elsewhere specified
- Class 16 - Photographic, cameras, cinematographic and optical apparatus
- Class 17 - Musical instruments
- Class 18 - Printing and office machinery
- Class 19 - Stationery and office equipment, artists and teaching materials
- Class 20 - Sales and advertising equipment, signs
- Class 21 - Games, toys, tents and sports goods
- Class 22 - Arms, pyrotechnic articles, articles for hunting, fishing and pest killing
- Class 23 - Fluid distribution equipment, sanitary, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, solid fuel
- Class 24 - Medical and laboratory equipment
- Class 25 - Building units and construction elements
- Class 26 - Lighting apparatus
- Class 27 - Tobacco and smokers supplies
- Class 28 - Pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, toilet articles and apparatus
- Class 29 - Devices and equipment against fire hazards, for accident prevention and for rescues
- Class 30 - Articles for the care and handling of animals
- Class 31 - Machines and appliances for preparing food or drink, not elsewhere specified
- Class 32 - Graphic symbols and logos, surface patterns, ornamentation
Designs Quality Standards
IP Australia recognises that the services it provides must comply with the requirements of the Designs Act 2003 and Designs Regulations 2004, and meet expectations of quality from its customers.
Quality objectives have been developed which provide a framework as part of our quality system. They are:
- Stakeholders/Customers have confidence in our decisions
- Our services and products demonstrate a professional approach
- The information we provide is useful for stakeholders
As part of meeting the above objectives, a set of Quality Standards is applicable to both the formalities check of design applications and examination of registered designs. They provide us with benchmarks against which to assess (or review) the quality of the work we produce.
The Quality Standards define key quality criteria with a customer centric focus and empower staff to apply their technical expertise as part of making legislative assessments. These Quality Standards contribute to IP Australia's commitment to a culture which strives for high quality outcomes, mastery and professionalism.
The standards will be continually refined in the light of experience and comments from our customers.
The Quality Standards should be read in conjunction with both the legislative requirements and the practices and procedures detailed in the Designs Examiner’s Manual.
The Quality Standards do not define practices and procedures. The Designs Examiner’s Manual details practices and procedures (and the legislative requirements) which the quality standards assess adherence to.
The Formalities Quality Standards consider the Formalities Officer’s assessment of the design application including formalities checks, decision-making that has occurred and report-writing and record-keeping.
The Examination Quality Standards consider the search strategy that the Examiner has used including prior art extracted and assessment of the prior art base, decision-making that has occurred and report-writing and record-keeping.
Included as part of both sets of Quality Standards are Excellence Guidelines which list a variety of positive attributes which a product or case may demonstrate. The assessment (or review) of a product or case considers positive attributes and can confirm that the delegate has undertaken and completed aspects of a task to a high standard.
The quality standards can be viewed by clicking on the headings below.
Formalities Quality Standards (Printable Word Version)
Examination Quality Standards (Printable Word Version)