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Australia Patent Platform

IP Australia · Patents Act 1990

AusPat prior art search · s.18 manner of manufacture analysis · Patents Act 1990 claim drafting · PCT national phase entry

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Patents Act 1990 s.7/18 · AusPat · eServices · PCT AU · DABUS case law

IP Australia

Quick Law Reference — IP Australia

s.18(1)(a)

Manner of manufacture — patentable subject matter (Myriad test)

s.18(1)(b)

Novelty — not prior art base at earliest priority date

s.18(1)(c)

Inventive step — not obvious to person skilled in the art

s.18(1)(d)

Usefulness — must produce a useful result

s.59

Opposition — within 3 months of acceptance notification

s.144A

Innovation patent — 8-claim limit, examined on request

Patent Journey — Pre-filing to Grant

AusPat Prior Art Search

Search AusPat, Espacenet, and USPTO. AustraliaForge AI applies s.18(1) analysis including manner of manufacture test from the High Court's D'Arcy v Myriad Genetics [2015] HCA 35.

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Application Filing

File standard patent (20 years) or innovation patent (8-claim limit, faster protection). PCT national phase entry within 31 months. Complete specification filed with IP Australia.

Application FormComplete SpecificationPriority Document

Examination

Request examination within 5 years (standard) or on-demand (innovation). Respond to examination report covering s.18 patentability grounds. AustraliaForge AI drafts arguments and amendments.

Examination RequestExamination ResponseAmendments

Acceptance & Grant

Acceptance published in Official Journal. 3-month opposition window under s.59. Patent sealed → annual renewal fees from year 4. Term: 20 years (standard) or 8 years max (innovation).

Renewal FeePatent CertificateAssignment Register

Fee Schedule — IP Australia

Action	Standard Patent (AUD)	Innovation Patent (AUD)	Timing
Filing Fee	$370	$180	At filing
Examination Request	$490	On request	Within 5 years (standard)
Acceptance Fee	$0	$0	Issued after examination
Renewal (year 4 onwards, per yr)	$315+	$95+	Annually from year 4

⚠️ Fees are approximate AUD. Verify at ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/fees. Online filing discounts may apply. Innovation patent examination on request.

AustraliaForge AI — IP Australia Tools & Patents Act Guide

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IP Australia Fee Calculator — 2025

Standard Patent · PCT AU · AUD · Small entity 50% discount

Fee	AUD
Filing Fee	A$370
Examination Request Fee	A$490
Annual Renewal — Yrs 1–5 avg	A$300/yr

Examination Request deadline: 5 years from filing date (Reg. 3.17). If not requested by deadline, the application lapses. No automatic examination — the applicant must actively request it. Examination typically completes in 12–18 months after request.

PCT national phase deadline: 31 months from earliest priority date. File via eServices at IP Australia portal. No Innovation Patent system after 2021 — standard patent is the only option going forward.

Fees in AUD. 1 USD ≈ 1.55 AUD (2025). Verify at ipaustralia.gov.au/fees.

Australian Patent Law — Patents Act 1990

s.18 Manner of Manufacture · s.7 Inventive Step · Examination Timeline

⚙️ s.18 Manner of Manufacture

An Australian standard patent requires the invention to be a 'manner of manufacture' within s.6 of the Statute of Monopolies 1623. The High Court in NRDC v Commissioner of Patents established that the test is whether the invention produces an 'artificially created state of affairs' of economic utility. Software and business methods are patentable if they produce a physical or concrete effect — the Full Federal Court in Aristocrat v Commissioner refined this: the claimed computer implementation must be more than a mere instruction to use a computer.