CANBERRA - IP Australia announced in a Tuesday press release that Melbourne-based Simone Calleja from Griffith Hack Patent and Trademark Attorneys has become Australia's 1,000th registered patent and trademark attorney.
"Patent and trademark attorneys play a leading role in encouraging and protecting innovative ideas and products, and giving advice about commercializing a good idea to ensure it has appropriate protection when it reaches the market place," Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources Bob Baldwin said.
"They combine technical skills with knowledge of intellectual property (IP) laws and processes to provide advice and know-how to businesses and individuals seeking IP protection,” he added.
Baldwin said attorneys could provide an impressive spread of assistance, from gaining patent protection for inventions, to trademark protection for logos and design protection for the way a manufactured product looked.
Calleja said she was surprised to be the 1000th attorney.
"I was just happy to register, but this is quite special. I hope to stay where I am for a while and gain further experience in Australian and overseas practice,” Calleja noted.
The Institute of Patent and Trademark Attorneys President, Tony Ward, said registration of Australia’s 1000th attorney demonstrated the significant growth and development of IP in recent years.
The profession has grown from less than 400 attorneys in 1999 to 1,000, including 314 women attorneys. This has resulted from new regulation requirements and the provision of online tertiary education for attorneys.
