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Chat online with a member of our team. We're here Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm your local time, across Australia (excluding national Australian public holidays).
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Call us
We'll answer your questions and capture your feedback or suggestions. We're here Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm your local time, across Australia (excluding national Australian public holidays).
| Calls within Australia | 1300 651 010 |
| Calls from outside Australia | +61 2 6283 2999 |
| Translating and interpreting service | 13 14 50 |
| Support for hearing or speech impairment | If you're deaf, hard of hearing and/or have a speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service. Select your call option and ask the interpreter to call us on 1300 651 010. |
Email us
Submit an enquiry or provide feedback anytime through our online form.
Visit us
We are open Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.
You can find us at:
Ground floor, Discovery House
47 Bowes Street
Phillip ACT 2606
Please make your way to our reception desk. You will then be connected with staff members who will be able to help you.
For in-person lodgements of documents or payments, please contact us in advance at (02) 6283 3105 to ensure we are available to meet you.
For all other enquiries, please contact us on 1300 651 010.
We are closed on Australian national public holidays and ACT public holidays.
Post to us
Write to us at:
IP Australia
PO Box 200
Woden ACT 2606
Couriered parcels
IP Australia
Converga
Level 1, Lakeview House
236-242 Cowlishaw Street
Tuggeranong ACT 2900
Fax us
If our online services is unavailable, you can fax us in an emergency on (02) 6285 4731. You'll need to include a declaration form with your submission.
Media enquiries
Our Media team are available to assist journalists with media enquiries relating to the agency. We don't accept customer enquiries through these channels.
Phone
02 6283 2038 (journalists only)
media@ipaustralia.gov.au (journalists only)
Engagement requests
You can organise an intellectual property (IP) session with our expert team, invite us to join your next event, and request educational resources for your organisation.
Frequently asked questions
We've answered the top questions we receive about IP, so you can spend less time wondering and more time doing.
This depends on what you're trying to protect.
- A trade mark legally protects your brand and can be used for a logo, word, phrase, letter and more.
- A patent legally protects your invention or how something works, such as new technology, devices, or methods.
- A design right legally protects the overall appearance of your new and distinctive product, including its shape and colour.
- A plant breeder's right (PBR) legally protects the new plant variety you have developed.
Depending on your business, you may need to protect it with multiple types of IP.
If you'd like specialist advice, speak to an IP attorney or IP professional for assistance.
You'll need to search for your idea to make sure it's new and unique to the market.
If your idea covers multiple right types, e.g. trade mark and design, you'll need to search for it across all relevant registers.
If you want to register your IP in Australia, you search the:
- Australian Trade Mark Search
- Australian Patent Search
- Australian Design Search
- Australian Plant Breeder's Right (PBR) Search.
If applying for rights overseas, you'll need to search existing registrations in relevant countries:
There are two ways to apply for a trade mark:
- Standard application — ideal if you're familiar with the application process
- Pre-application service (TM Headstart) — perfect if you've haven't applied for a trade mark before.
This depends on a number of things like the type of IP you apply for and what application service you use. Application fees start from:
Trade mark: $200
Patent: (provisional application) $110
Design right: $250
Plant breeder's right: $345
We'll let you know via online services when it's time to renew your IP.
You can also use online services to:
- Renew your IP rights
- Make payments
- Check the status of your application
- Manage your IP rights
- Review your correspondence
- Keep your details up to date.
Protection starts from your original filing date. How long it's valid for varies depending on the type of IP:
- A trade mark registration lasts for 10 years
- Patent registration lasts for up to 20 years (or up to 25 years for pharmaceutical substances)
- Design right registration lasts for five years but can be renewed for another five years. The maximum length of protection for a design right is 10 years
- Plant breeder's rights lasts for 20 years (or up to 25 years for vines and trees).
Once your IP has been protected, it's your responsibility to manage and maintain it.
Minor changes can be done via online services, including:
- Changing your name and address
- Changing the name or address of your lawyer or IP professional
- Narrowing down the scope of your protection, such as deleting a class of goods and services from a trade mark application, or refining the product name from 'container' to 'egg container' for a design right
- Replacing documents if you've accidentally submitted the wrong ones.
You'll need to submit a new application if you want to make major changes, including:
- Increasing the scope of your protection to include another IP right type, e.g. adding trade mark protection to your existing design right
- Adding a new class of goods and services to a trade mark.
First, check if their actions are actually considered infringement — this will depend on the type of IP you own.
Once you've confirmed their actions are considered infringement, there are several things you can do before taking legal action. This includes sending a letter of demand and considering mediation with the other party.
If you'd like specialist advice, speak to an IP attorney or IP professional for assistance.
Fees are non-refundable, regardless of the application outcome. This is because when you pay the application fee, you're paying for us to review your application — not to guarantee its success.
If your deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it will be pushed to the next business day.
For example, if your deadline is on Saturday, it will be pushed to the following Monday.
