Australia: No extraterritorial operation of Australian patents

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Australia: No extraterritorial operation of Australian patents

Australian courts have recently adopted a restrictive reading of the extra territorial operation of Australian patents.

In Load and Move Pty Ltd v Container Rotation Systems Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 843, the plaintiff owned a patent directed to a container rotation system. It sued the defendants, alleging infringement of the patent. The infringement allegation was peculiar. It alleged the defendants had contracted for the foreign manufacture in China of a container rotation system which was to be supplied to Eritrea. Thus the system was never going to enter the Australian territory, even though the supply was being orchestrated from Australia.

The judge refused to grant preliminary discovery and to entertain an infringement finding. As the contract for manufacture and sale was to be performed totally outside the jurisdiction, there was no exploitation of the patent for the purposes of infringement.

The case points to a restrictive reading by the Australian judiciary of the territorial operation of Australian patents. Given the rapid development of internet-type sales channels, this is perhaps unfortunate, as it may allow the effective exploitation of patent rights by Australian entities, provided that exploitation occurs wholly outside the country.

Peter Treloar


Shelston IP

Level 21, 60 Margaret Street

Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

Tel: +61 2 9777 1111

Fax: +61 2 9241 4666

email@shelstonip.com

www.shelstonip.com

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Kelly Thompson, chair of South African firm Adams & Adams, discusses self-belief, self-doubt, and the importance of saying yes
The renowned food brands were represented by a host of lawyers, including members of the firms’ IP teams
Partners at Bird & Bird and Taylor Wessing discuss how Saudi Arabia offers unique opportunities for firms dealing in IP and tech
Attorneys explain why there are early signs that the US Supreme Court could rule in favour of ISP Cox in a copyright dispute
A swathe of UPC-related hires suggests firms are taking the forum seriously, as questions over the transitional stage begin
A win for Nintendo in China and King & Spalding hiring a prominent patent litigator were also among the top talking points
Rebecca Newman at Addleshaw Goddard, who live-reported on the seminal dispute, unpicks the trials and tribulations of the case and considers its impact
Attorneys predict how Lululemon’s trade dress and design patent suit against Costco could play out
Lawyers at Linklaters analyse some of the key UPC trends so far, and look ahead to life beyond the transition period
David Rodrigues, who previously worked at an IP boutique, said he may become more involved in transactional work at his new firm
Gift this article