Reclaiming copyright's lost cultural value for authors and the public. This project aims to develop new empirical understandings of the cultural value lost through current approaches to copyright. Copyright rules that favour one party do necessarily need to imply losses for another. By changing the scope and division of rights it is possible to improve outcomes for multiple stakeholders. The project will result in new understanding of how this can be achieved within the confines of an unamendabl ....Reclaiming copyright's lost cultural value for authors and the public. This project aims to develop new empirical understandings of the cultural value lost through current approaches to copyright. Copyright rules that favour one party do necessarily need to imply losses for another. By changing the scope and division of rights it is possible to improve outcomes for multiple stakeholders. The project will result in new understanding of how this can be achieved within the confines of an unamendable treaty framework by exploring fuller protection of authorship as a mechanism for securing a fairer go for creators, unlocking new opportunities for publishers, generating new sources of arts funding and improving access for the public. The project should provide significant benefit by informing law reform debates at domestic and international levels.Read moreRead less
'The fingers of the powers above do tune the harmony of this peace': Australia and the Harmonisation of Patents. Patent law is central to the key economic aim of encouraging an innovative culture. The harmonisation of patent systems around the world means Australian law will change. There is a significant risk that, without effective lobbying, the reforms will only reflect the needs and interests of the dominant economies, like the US. This project, with its comparative analysis of the patent e ....'The fingers of the powers above do tune the harmony of this peace': Australia and the Harmonisation of Patents. Patent law is central to the key economic aim of encouraging an innovative culture. The harmonisation of patent systems around the world means Australian law will change. There is a significant risk that, without effective lobbying, the reforms will only reflect the needs and interests of the dominant economies, like the US. This project, with its comparative analysis of the patent examination process, will explore the ways in which this integral part of the patent system may be improved. This research will lead to proposals for reform that are in line with the interests of Australia's unique economy.Read moreRead less
...and by opposing, end them: A Comparative Examination of Opposition Processes in Patent Law. Patent law is central to the key Australian economic aim of encouraging an innovative culture. One aspect of patent law, the opposition process, is directly linked to two important issues currently facing our patent system: improving patent quality, and minimising predatory behaviour by powerful firms. This project will assess the operation of the opposition process here, and the practice of equivalent .......and by opposing, end them: A Comparative Examination of Opposition Processes in Patent Law. Patent law is central to the key Australian economic aim of encouraging an innovative culture. One aspect of patent law, the opposition process, is directly linked to two important issues currently facing our patent system: improving patent quality, and minimising predatory behaviour by powerful firms. This project will assess the operation of the opposition process here, and the practice of equivalent international procedures in other jurisdictions, in order to inform Australian policy in current and ongoing negotiations towards global harmonisation. Material from this project will lead directly to proposals for improving the Australian patent system, and ensuring that it promotes, and does not retard, innovation. Read moreRead less
'Nothing Can Be Created Out of Nothing': Workers, Their Know-How and the Employment Relationships that Support Them. The importance of innovation, either in the form of intellectual property or know-how, to the Australian economy cannot be over-stated. Unlike statutory intellectual property schemes, worker-created know-how is both 'incentivised' and controlled through the contractual provisions of the worker-employer relationship. This project, through its empirical focus, will explore if (and h ....'Nothing Can Be Created Out of Nothing': Workers, Their Know-How and the Employment Relationships that Support Them. The importance of innovation, either in the form of intellectual property or know-how, to the Australian economy cannot be over-stated. Unlike statutory intellectual property schemes, worker-created know-how is both 'incentivised' and controlled through the contractual provisions of the worker-employer relationship. This project, through its empirical focus, will explore if (and how) the law, as it relates to know-how, promotes innovation in the workplace. Through the development of guidelines for best practice and reform proposals to fill gaps in the law, this research will increase the potential for innovation in all worker-employer relationships which will, in turn, maximise this country's creative and technological capability. Read moreRead less
DESIGNING LAND ADMINISTRATION SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT MODERN LAND MARKETS. Economies require successful land markets to generate wealth. Our land administration systems are expensive but essential infrastructure for land markets. However, since they were designed 150 years ago, the market has invented complex commodities: time shares, unit and property trusts, financial instruments, mortgage backed certificates, insurance products, options, corporate development instruments, vertical villages, and ....DESIGNING LAND ADMINISTRATION SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT MODERN LAND MARKETS. Economies require successful land markets to generate wealth. Our land administration systems are expensive but essential infrastructure for land markets. However, since they were designed 150 years ago, the market has invented complex commodities: time shares, unit and property trusts, financial instruments, mortgage backed certificates, insurance products, options, corporate development instruments, vertical villages, and more. The project will explain how modern land markets evolved and how land administration systems can be adapted to provide more efficient land trading and better support for trading in new complex commodities. Read moreRead less
Food security and the governance of local knowledge in India and Indonesia. This project aims to discover how local farming communities’ practical knowledge can improve food security. 795 million undernourished people rely on small farmers for food. To protect these farmers from multinational agribusiness and climate change, this project will examine how small farmers turn useful plant material into cultivated crops through plant selection and breeding under conditions of climate change; identif ....Food security and the governance of local knowledge in India and Indonesia. This project aims to discover how local farming communities’ practical knowledge can improve food security. 795 million undernourished people rely on small farmers for food. To protect these farmers from multinational agribusiness and climate change, this project will examine how small farmers turn useful plant material into cultivated crops through plant selection and breeding under conditions of climate change; identify how regulatory structures in India and Indonesia help or hinder this process; and identify opportunities to apply local knowledge and its regulatory framework in Australia. Better understanding local conditions should benefit regulators, NGOs, businesses and aid agencies.Read moreRead less
Resilience and vulnerability in property systems: rising sea levels and local relocations in Solomon Islands. This project analyses local relocations caused by rising sea levels in Solomon Islands, in order to support sustainable and inclusive resettlement of displaced persons in their home environments.
The Principles of Proprietary Remedies. Property rights are central to Australia's social fabric and critical to its economy. At this time of financial crisis, when personal bankruptcy and corporate insolvency are on the rise, it is essential to know exactly who owns what, when and why. Yet Australian law is unclear and often inconsistent as to when and why the law imposes property rights in favour of a plaintiff over assets held by a defendant and what those rights should be. This project will ....The Principles of Proprietary Remedies. Property rights are central to Australia's social fabric and critical to its economy. At this time of financial crisis, when personal bankruptcy and corporate insolvency are on the rise, it is essential to know exactly who owns what, when and why. Yet Australian law is unclear and often inconsistent as to when and why the law imposes property rights in favour of a plaintiff over assets held by a defendant and what those rights should be. This project will address this intolerable uncertainty by determining the proper criteria for the conferral of property rights by law.Read moreRead less
Drug Companies, their Patenting Strategies and High-Cost Pharmaceuticals: An Empirical Investigation. Pharmaceuticals are a vital part of clinical services that maintain and improve Australia's health; they are also costly, absorbing a substantial proportion of the national health expenditures. By conferring market protections, the patent system helps the manufacturers of pharmaceuticals to recoup the high costs of research associated with developing new products. Abuses of the patent system by ....Drug Companies, their Patenting Strategies and High-Cost Pharmaceuticals: An Empirical Investigation. Pharmaceuticals are a vital part of clinical services that maintain and improve Australia's health; they are also costly, absorbing a substantial proportion of the national health expenditures. By conferring market protections, the patent system helps the manufacturers of pharmaceuticals to recoup the high costs of research associated with developing new products. Abuses of the patent system by pharmaceutical manufacturers have the potential to stifle competition and inappropriately raise the costs of pharmaceuticals to society. This innovative, cross-disciplinary, research will investigate the existence of abusive patents and, if necessary, propose reforms that will prevent further abuse and reduce the size of the health budget. Read moreRead less
A National infrastructure to manage land information. Australia is one of about 30 countries in the world capable of managing land transactions in reliable land registers. The administrative framework however is 150 years old, built according to a 19th century statutory model appropriate to a less complicated and slower land market. Now land information, and particularly the digital land parcel map, is Australia's most valuable but underutilised asset. The project will translate popular spatial ....A National infrastructure to manage land information. Australia is one of about 30 countries in the world capable of managing land transactions in reliable land registers. The administrative framework however is 150 years old, built according to a 19th century statutory model appropriate to a less complicated and slower land market. Now land information, and particularly the digital land parcel map, is Australia's most valuable but underutilised asset. The project will translate popular spatial technologies into national business tools to better manage land information for the government, community and private sectors.Read moreRead less