ABSTRACT
Australian venture capital markets are much less developed than those in the United States, which have financed numerous successful enterprises, including Apple Computer, Intel, Federal Express, Microsoft and Lotus Development. In Australia, as in other common law jurisdictions, there is no comprehensive set of intellectual property rights to serve the interests of innovators. Australia is in the midst of an unprecedented era of intellectual property law reform, which includes Copyright Amendment Act 2000 came into force on 4 March 2001; reforms to copyright law are recommended by the Copyright Law Review Committee; and Patents Amendment Act 2000 has recently been enacted after a report by the Advisory Council on Industrial Property. The Intellectual Property Law Reform also includes legislation is being prepared for a reformed design law system; and a new reassessment is occurring in respect of a provision in the Trade Marks Act 1995.
