Event: New standard directions for Australian patent proceedings

• Details for VIC event in-person or virtually
• Details for NSW event in-person or virtually

The Federal Court of Australia, in collaboration with IPSANZ and IP Australia, invites members and non-members of IPSANZ to the upcoming event ‘New Standard Directions for Australian Patent Proceedings’, a panel discussion hosted by the Hon. Justice Stephen Burley, the Hon. Justice Helen Rofe, Registrar Susan O’Connor of the Federal Court of Australia and members of the profession.

To be held in-person at the Federal Court of Australia, Melbourne (Court 1, 305 William St, Melbourne) and virtually on 13 March 2025; and in-person at the Federal Court of Australia, Sydney (Court 1, Law Courts Building, Queens Square, Sydney) and virtually on 20 March 2025.

Topic in brief:

In early 2025, the Federal Court of Australia is planning to launch new Standard Directions for Australian Patent Proceedings as a pilot program. The drafting of the directions took place during the course of 2024 with the assistance of two working groups, one in Sydney and one in Melbourne, comprising members of the profession and convened by Justices Burley and Rofe.

To mark this milestone, raise awareness amongst the profession at large and to provide the profession with an opportunity to provide their views on the draft directions, the Federal Court will be hosting official events at the Melbourne and Sydney registries in March 2025.

These events will include a panel discussion hosted by the Hon. Justice Stephen Burley and the Hon. Justice Helen Rofe, with the participants including Registrar Susan O’Connor of the Federal Court of Australia, and members of the standard directions working groups in Melbourne and Sydney. The panel will provide an overview of the new Standard Directions and how they were developed, and invite comments and questions from the profession.

The documents that will be discussed are available for downloading at:

1. Draft standard directions;
2. Draft instructions for expert conferences;
3. Suggested common general knowledge direction to experts;
4. Note on the proposed new costs assessment proposal; and
5. Draft form statement of costs.

For VIC

For NSW