The reality is that patent attorneys and inventors are already using AI tools to draft invention disclosures and patent specifications and, by definition, this generally occurs before any patent application is filed. But most inventors, and even many members of
Patentology Blog
The Patentology Blog, published by Patentology, focuses on issues related to patent law and practice, particularly within Australia and New Zealand. It covers topics such as patent application trends, the impact of artificial intelligence on patent drafting and filings, patent office procedures, examination backlogs, and structural changes in the patent attorney profession. The blog also discusses legal challenges involving patent examiners, legislative amendments affecting patent applications, and the use of AI tools in patent specification drafting and patent drawings. It provides analysis of patent prosecution data, policy developments, and practical aspects of patent law and innovation policy.
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Data Reveals the Fragile Economics of Training Patent Attorneys in the Age of AI
Could the trans-Tasman (Australian and New Zealand) patent attorney profession be standing on a demographic precipice? Despite the continued resilience of patent filings and a seemingly stable market for professional intellectual property services, the fundamental engine of the profession –…
Funding Quantum Hardware, Forsaking Research Talent: The Deepening Crisis in Australian Science
It has been just over two years since the Australian and Queensland governments announced their near-billion-dollar joint venture to fund PsiQuantum. Back in April 2024, policymakers excitedly pitched the construction of a utility-scale quantum computer at Brisbane Airport as…
Patent Filing Trends in 2025 Show Impact of AI and Continued Decline in Listed Firm Share
The Australian and New Zealand patent filing landscape in 2025 was marked by the continuation of established market trends alongside a striking new development that has potentially significant implications for both the patent system and the patent attorney profession. Total…
High Court Backs Aristocrat on Software Patentability – It’s Time for IP Australia to Follow Suit
The High Court of Australia has denied an application by the Commissioner of Patents for special leave to appeal a decision of the Full Federal Court in which claims to a computer-implemented invention (CII), in the form of an electronic…
Are Patent Offices Being Inundated with Low-Quality AI-Generated ‘Slopplications’?
‘AI slop’, defined as ‘low-quality content created by generative AI, often containing errors, and not requested by the user’, was named Word of the Year for 2025 by the Macquarie Dictionary. Replace ‘content’ with ‘applications’, and ‘user’ with ‘patent…
How Attorney Firms are Benefiting from an Australian Patent Examination Backlog
The Australian patent attorney profession has been undergoing a significant structural shift over the past decade. The listing of IPH Ltd in November 2014, and its subsequent series of acquisitions and mergers has created a dominant force controlling multiple major…
Can You Turn an AI Chatbot into a Patent Drawing Professional?
Unsurprisingly, many of my conversations with fellow patent attorneys over the past couple of years have centred on AI – my work with it, and what it means for patent practice. My own experience, and that of people I have…
Former Patent Examiner Takes IP Australia to Federal Court Over Alleged ‘Abusive Management Practices’
A former IP Australia patent examiner who alleges ‘unlawful, unreasonable, unfair, inefficient, and abusive management practices’ at the government agency is seeking Federal Court review of Fair Work Commission (FWC) decisions that rejected his unfair dismissal claim. Hendrik Johannes Liebenberg,…
NZ Patent Law Amendments Target Extinction of 82 ‘Dinosaur’ Applications
At the time of writing, there are 26,111 patent applications pending and not yet accepted (i.e. awaiting examination, or under examination) at the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ). Of these, 26,029 are subject to the provisions of the…