IPTA launches free patent consultation service

According to IPTA, a significant proportion of Australia’s IP is poorly or inappropriately protected, potentially costing IP creators and the country millions of dollars in lost revenue.

To help Australian IP creators protect their assets, IPTA has launched a free service involving an initial IP consultation with a Patent or Trade Mark Attorney.

The ‘Free Consultation Service’ is expected to give innovators and business people an understanding of the most suitable forms of IP protection, the different routes by which that protection could be pursued, optional steps such as pre-filing searches and the approximate costs of the various options.

“Too few people who create valuable IP know at the outset how to properly protect and commercially exploit what they have created,” said IPTA Councilor Stuart Smith.

“The sad fact is that once you have filed for IP protection, it can be difficult, expensive, and quite often impossible, to go back later and fix errors or emissions made during the initial drafting and filing processes,” he said.

“We see it as part of the Institute’s role to take an educational position in relation to IP, in order to minimise these sorts of problems, and our Free Consultation Service is a tangible aspect of that role.”

Free consultations can take place in person or, for those living in remote areas, can be take place by phone. Consultations typically take around 30 minutes, after which IP creators usually have sufficient information to know how best to proceed.

After the free consultation, some IP creators may choose to self-file, while others may engage future professional assistance.

By promoting the Free Consultation Service, IPTA hopes for the value of Australian IP will rise and individual inventors and innovators will gain the greater returns for their efforts.

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