Note: This information applies to requests for determinations filed under sections 35, 36 and 191A and applications made for sections 33, 34, 35, and 36, on or after 15 April 2013.

In this topic:

Relevant Legislation

The Act

The Regulations

Overview

Relevant Legislation

The Act

Section 15	Who may be granted a patent
Section 22A	Validity not affected by who patent granted to
Section 33	Applications by Opponents
Section 34	Applications by eligible persons arising out of Court proceedings
Section 35	Applications by eligible persons following revocation by the Commissioner
Section 36	Other applications by eligible persons
Section 138	Revocation of patents
Section 191A	Commissioner’s powers to rectify the Register

The Regulations

Reg 3.7	Form of certain applications
Reg 10.7	Rectification of Register
Reg 22.24	Practice and procedure other than for opposition proceedings
Reg 22.8	Costs
Schedule 7	Fees

Overview

Subsection 15(1) of the Act specifies a patent for an invention may only be granted to a person who:

(a) is the inventor; or

(b) would, on the grant of a patent for the invention, be entitled to have the patent assigned to the person; or

(d) is the legal representative of a deceased person mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c).

This raises particular issues where there are disputes about who is the actual inventor, who derives entitlement from them or when, due to an error, a patent is granted to a person who is not entitled or the name of an entitled person is omitted.

Notably section 22A provides that a patent is not invalid merely because it (or a share in the patent) was granted to a person not entitled or was not granted to a person who is entitled.

Consequently the Act provides a number of avenues for matters of entitlement to be resolved and for applications and patents to proceed in the name of the correct parties. These include:

requests under section 32 in relations to joint applicants;
applications for a declaration (and directions) under section 36;
application for a determination under section 35, as a result of the revocation of a patent under section 137 following an offer to surrender;
opposition under section 59 to the grant of a standard patent;
revocation of a patent by a Court section 138;
application for a declaration under section 191A;
application for a Court order under section 192.

All but sections 138 and 192 fall within the Commissioner's authority to determine.

Following a determination of entitlement, depending on the finding, a direction can made that the application proceed in the name of the entitled persons or, for a patent, for the Register to be rectified to reflect the correct patentees. However, the Act also provides in some circumstances for a new application to be filed by an entitled person in some circumstances - see sections 33, 34, 35 and 36. This may be appropriate where the relevant application has lapsed, or the patent has been revoked, or where parts of an application with different entitlement can be separated out and made the subject of new applications in the name of the relevant entitled person.