Professional Standards Board for Patent and Trade Marks Attorneys
PSB · Professional Standards Board
1998 – 24 February 2017
Renamed Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board in 2017.
Statutory board, supported by IP Australia, that set the qualifications for registration of patent attorneys and trade marks attorneys and oversaw their professional conduct and discipline.
Names over time
- Professional Standards Board for Patent and Trade Marks Attorneys1998–2017
- Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board2017–present
How it came into existence
Established under this name by a new regulation 20.32 of the Patents Regulations 1991, substituted by amending statutory rules made in 1998 (as-made version dated 1 April 1998), with a chairperson appointed by the minister and the head of the relevant IP Australia division or a nominee among its members; the board covered patent attorneys and the trade marks attorneys registered under the Trade Marks Act 1995. The regulation it replaced provided for an earlier professional standards board for patent attorneys under the Patents Act 1990, whose name and start date are not confirmed; the exact commencement of the 1998 rules is also not confirmed.
Legislation: Patents Act 1990; Trade Marks Act 1995
Changes during its life
- 1 July 2008A code of conduct issued by the board for all registered patent and trade marks attorneys took effect.
- October 2013A new code of conduct for patent and trade marks attorneys, made under the Patents Act 1990 and the Trade Marks Act 1995, was registered as a legislative instrument.
How it ended
Renamed the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board on 24 February 2017, with an expanded membership, when a single trans-Tasman regime for patent attorneys in Australia and New Zealand took effect.
Main functions
- Qualifications for registration of patent and trade marks attorneys
- Professional standards and code of conduct for attorneys
- Investigation of complaints and disciplinary action against attorneys
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
Lineage
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Sources
Primary sources
- Australian Government Organisations Register (Department of Finance, data.gov.au) (listed from 11 December 2014 to 17 May 2017)
- Statutory Rules 1998 amending the Patents Regulations 1991 (new regulation 20.32) – Federal Register of Legislation
- Code of Conduct for Patent and Trade Marks Attorneys 2013 (as made) – Federal Register of Legislation
- Explanatory statement, Code of Conduct for Trans-Tasman Patent Attorneys and Australian Trade Marks Attorneys 2018 – Federal Register of Legislation
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.