Intellectual Property and Trade Marks

Protecting your ideas to drive commercial success

Without a vehicle for commercialisation, a good idea is just a good idea, and without the proper protection, there’s nothing to stop your good idea becoming someone else’s success.

We extract the maximum benefit from your intellectual property (IP) assets through effective strategy, protection, management, and commercialisation. Our team advises organisations from emerging start-ups to established (listed and unlisted) businesses and government and research institutions, across a range of industries including life sciences, information technology, consumer goods, resources, travel, fashion, food and agriculture.

We have a strong track record supporting and protecting a broad range of intellectual property assets, including the development of tailored strategies for the protection, management and commercialisation of:

trade marks;
designs;
patents;
copyrights;
plant breeders rights;
domain names; and
confidential information and trade secrets.

End-to-end support at every stage
of your intellectual property journey

Whether you’re securing IP rights, structuring a commercial agreement, or raising capital, we work in alignment with your business goals to provide practical, commercial advice and proactive solutions, at every stage. We also partner with you to manage your legal obligations, regulatory compliance and risk, and dispute resolution and enforcement, ensuring your business remains agile and competitive in a constantly evolving landscape.

Our IP services include:

due diligence and strategic management of IP assets;
IP commercialisation;
research and development, collaboration and sponsorship agreements;
the transfer, licensing, and assignment of intellectual property;
trade mark, business name and design registration in Australia and New Zealand;
advice on brand availability;
opposition, non-use and removal applications;
intellectual property audits;
domain name disputes;
manufacturing, distribution, service level and supply agreements; and
confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements.

Brand protection and trade mark specialists

Your brand is an essential and valuable business asset. Our team recognises the importance of brand protection and is known for our ability to formulate an effective brand protection strategy that is right for your business.

We operate a full service trade marks practice. Our brand protection specialists assist a broad range of clients from start-up businesses to publicly listed companies, including a number of well-known and iconic brands. Our services include advice on the development of new brands, trade mark availability, prosecution and enforcement both in Australia, and internationally. We also assist with Australian design registration, and copyright advice, protection and enforcement.

With our specialised IP docketing system, clients have peace of mind their brands, maintenance and enforcement matters are effectively and efficiently managed.

Safeguarding your domain

We regularly act in Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) domain name disputes and work closely with our dispute resolution and litigation team on enforcement of intellectual property rights, and defending challenges for use of technology, brands and innovations. We also assist with proactive domain name protection and acquisition strategies, including defensive registrations, and actions against domain name squatters to safeguard your brand from misuse.

Specialist services for franchisors

Our IP practice extends to providing support for franchisors, guiding you through the franchising process. From IP protection and the preparation of franchise agreements and disclosure documents to compliance with the Franchising Code of Conduct and dispute resolution, we work with you to ensure your franchise model is robust, legally sound, and positioned for growth.

Proven track record of delivering results

With decades of experience across multiple industries and legal disciplines, our team brings a strategic, commercial approach to solving complex IP challenges. Our lawyers have worked internationally for telecommunications providers, global logistics and aviation organisations, as well as banking and finance institutions. A number of our lawyers have qualifications and experience in science and health.

We take a holistic and strategic approach to achieve solutions and outcomes that are as unique and creative as your ideas and your intellectual property.