Patents 2021
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Patents 2021 A practical cross-border insight into patent law 11th Edition Featuring contributions from: Bird & Bird LLP Gowling WLG PETOŠEVIĆ Russia Cedar White Bradley IP LLC Haynes and Boone Pham & Associates Chuo Sogo Law Office, P.C. Kadasa Intellectual Property Reinhold Cohn Group CPST Intellectual Property (in association with Rouse & Co. International) Reising Ethington P.C. Daniel Law Law Office of KRAdamo Rouse DDPV Studio Legale LexOrbis Setterwalls Duane Morris LLP Mintz Shook Lin & Bok Eric Silwamba, Jalasi and Linyama Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan Legal Practitioners Ofo Ventura Intellectual Property & Litigation TIPLO Attorneys-at-Law Gleiss Lutz OLIVARES Gorodissky & Partners Ukraine Patrinos & Kilimiris ISBN 978-1-83918-066-8 ISSN 2044-3129 Published by 59 Tanner Street London SE1 3PL United Kingdom Patents 2021 +44 207 367 0720 [email protected] th www.iclg.com 11 Edition Consulting Group Publisher Rory Smith Publisher James Strode Editor Contributing Editor: Jane Simmons Katharine Stephens Senior Editor Sam Friend Bird & Bird LLP Head of Production Suzie Levy Chief Media Officer Fraser Allan CEO Jason Byles Printed by Ashford Colour Press Ltd. Cover image www.istockphoto.com ©2020 Global Legal Group Limited. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction by any means, Strategic Partners digital or analogue, in whole or in part, is strictly forbidden. Disclaimer This publication is for general information purposes only. It does not purport to provide comprehen- sive full legal or other advice. Global Legal Group Ltd. and the contributors accept no responsibility for losses that may arise from reliance upon information contained in this publication. This publication is intended to give an indication of legal issues upon which you may need advice. Full legal advice should be taken from a qualified professional when dealing with specific situations. Chapter 6 21 Australia Australia Jane Owen Bird & Bird LLP Rebecca Currey 1 Patent Enforcement To commence proceedings in the Federal Court, a party must file an originating application. The originating application will be accompanied by a statement of claim and a genuine steps state- 1.1 Before what tribunals can a patent be enforced ment in accordance with the Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) (FCRs). against an infringer? Is there a choice between tribunals The fees to file an originating application are prescribed in and what would influence a claimant’s choice? schedule 1 of the Federal Court and Federal Circuit Court Regulation 2012. As of 1 July 2019, the fee for filing an originating applica- The Federal Court of Australia (Federal Court) and the state tion for a corporation is AUD 4,100. and territory Supreme Courts have jurisdiction to hear patent The period of time that elapses between the filing of the origi- infringement matters. nating application and the final trial depends on the complexity of the Patent infringement proceedings are typically brought in the proceedings – for example, whether the applicant seeks to amend the Federal Court because this Court has numerous judges with patent(s), the number of patents asserted, whether experiments need extensive patent expertise who are appointed to the patent list to be carried out, and how long evidence preparation takes. and allocated to hear these matters. Generally, parties should allow anywhere between 12 and 18 months before the final trial on infringement. 1.2 Can the parties be required to undertake mediation before commencing court proceedings? Is mediation 1.5 Can a party be compelled to disclose relevant or arbitration a commonly used alternative to court documents or materials to its adversary either before or proceedings? after commencing proceedings, and if so, how? Parties cannot be required to mediate before commencing The FCRs provide several mechanisms for disclosure of docu- proceedings. However, under the Civil Dispute Resolution Act ments both before and after the commencement of proceedings. 2011 (Cth), the legal representatives for the party issuing the proceedings must sign and file a genuine steps statement that Before commencement sets out the steps that have been taken to try and resolve the A party that believes it may have the right to obtain relief against matter before issuing proceedings. a party, but does not have sufficient information to decide In the course of the proceeding, the Federal Court will whether to start a proceeding, can seek an order for “prelimi- consider options for alternative dispute resolution, including nary discovery” of documents from the other party. mediation, as early as reasonably practicable and may order the parties to mediate. Mediation is more common than arbitration, After commencement unless the dispute is governed by a contract mandating that arbi- The FCRs also provide mechanisms to obtain “standard” and tration be undertaken before or in lieu of Court litigation. “non-standard” discovery of documents after the commence- ment of a proceeding. 1.3 Who is permitted to represent parties to a patent Orders for discovery after commencement are not made as a dispute in court? matter of course and a party must only seek discovery (whether “standard” or “non-standard”) if it will facilitate the just resolu- Barristers and solicitors represent parties in patent proceedings tion of the proceeding as quickly, inexpensively and efficiently as possible. in the Federal Court. In Australia, patent attorneys are a separate profession and Other mechanisms have a right of audience in the Australian Patent Office but A party to a proceeding can use Notices to Produce served on cannot appear in Court. a party, requiring the party to produce any document or thing Litigants can self-represent, but a corporation must be repre- within the party’s control at the trial. sented by a legal practitioner unless leave of the Court is given. 1.6 What are the steps each party must take pre-trial? 1.4 What has to be done to commence proceedings, Is any technical evidence produced, and if so, how? what court fees have to be paid and how long does it generally take for proceedings to reach trial from commencement? There are numerous steps a party must take in the lead-up to trial. Patents 2021 © Published and reproduced with kind permission by Global Legal Group Ltd, London 22 Australia The Federal Court Practice Note, “Intellectual Property A party should make known its request for an expedited proce- Practice Note (IP-1)”, provides some examples of special steps dure and hearing at the time of filing an originating application. A which may be ordered to be undertaken in patent matters. For party should otherwise make its request for an informal or abbre- example, the Court may order that the parties file an agreed viated pleadings process known as the first case management technical primer to assist in explaining the technical back- hearing. ground to the invention claimed in the patent in suit. The impact on overall timing will depend on the complexity The first step in the proceeding is the pleading of each party’s of the proceeding. It is unlikely that a patent proceeding would case (a statement of claim, a defence and any cross-claim, be finalised in under three months if expedition is ordered. defence to cross-claim and replies). After the close of pleadings, evidence will be led by both 1.10 Are judgments made available to the public? parties. If not as a matter of course, can third parties request Evidence relied on for both infringement and revocation will copies of the judgment? invariably include expert technical evidence. In the immediate lead-up to the trial, a case management Judgments are made publicly available online in Australia, typi- conference will occur before the judge. At the case manage- ment conference, the judge will set a timetable for the filing of cally within 24 hours of being handed down by the judge. submissions, objections to evidence, Court book preparation and other requirements the judge may have in preparing the 1.11 Are courts obliged to follow precedents matter for trial. This may include orders regarding a timetable from previous similar cases as a matter of binding for competing experts to confer prior to the trial and for expert or persuasive authority? Are decisions of any other evidence to be given concurrently at trial. jurisdictions of persuasive authority? 1.7 How are arguments and evidence presented at the The doctrine of precedent is central to the Australian judicial trial? Can a party change its pleaded arguments before system. Australian Courts are bound to follow the ratio decidendi and/or at trial? (reasons for the decision) of superior Australian Courts, and will not depart from decisions of the same Court without good reason. At the trial, the parties’ arguments are made by both written and Older decisions from the United Kingdom may be persua- sive (Australian patent law has departed from UK patent law), oral submissions. but they are not binding. See Seiko Epson v Calidad [2017] As to the parties’ evidence, the affidavit evidence upon which FCAFC 1403 for an example of this consideration. Decisions of a party intends to rely will be formally “read” by the party European and US Courts are of interest, but are less persuasive. relying on the evidence and admitted into evidence. A person However, since adopting the concept of “support” instead of that has given evidence in affidavit form may be required for fair basis in Australia, European cases may have some increased