Hockey’s IP inquiry another opportunity likely to be missed

Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey has asked the Productivity Commission to undertake a wide-ranging review of Australia’s intellectual property regime. The review is an opportunity for an increasingly distracted government to set its stamp on the Australian economy for the next 20 years. It is an opportunity that will almost certainly be missed.

The major Harper review of competition policy recognised that intellectual property – particularly copyright, patents and trade marks – is integral to Australia’s national competitiveness. A succession of other reviews over the past two decades have recognised that intellectual property is integral to our social wellbeing. It impacts everything from timely access to affordable medications to cultural expression including archival photographs, films like Dallas Buyers Club, and mashups.