The Australian arm of Fuchs Lubricants has succeeded in invalidating two patents owned by Quakers Chemicals, with the Full Federal Court finding the inventions were not novel because Quakers had tested them in public prior to applying for registration with IP Australia.
A unit of coal mining company Futura Resources has failed to convince the Full Federal Court to allow it to register a 2012 coking coal mine investigation conducted in Central Queensland for a research and development tax offset.
An appeals court has split on whether a judge’s grilling of an expert witness in a personal injury case was appropriate, with the dissenting judge saying the questioning — which took up more than two-thirds of the cross examination — was excesssive, and hostile in parts.
Tabcorp-owned Tatts Group has launched legal proceedings against the Australian Taxation Office seeking to set aside an “excessive” decision barring over $393 million in tax deductions for 2013 when the company was master agent of SA Lotteries.
A Federal Court class action against two NAB units over $6.3 billion in super funds is on hold after lawyers for the applicant filed an appeal of a ruling that found their state court proceeding had been invalidly commenced.
A Perth director of six companies that were wound up owing $100 million to creditors has dropped a challenge to his disqualification by ASIC, after unsuccessfully arguing before the Full Court that an email from the corporate regulator forwarded by his lawyer did not constitute proper service.
The High Court has granted special leave in a test case by the Australian Taxation Office concerning the effectiveness of disclaimers by trust beneficiaries giving up entitlements to trust income and any associated tax obligations.
Fortnite game maker Epic Games has appealed a judge’s decision to send its misuse of market power case against Apple to California, in a significant case with implications for whether Australian companies can litigate disputes with tech giants on their home turf.
The High Court has denied special leave to a group of Queensland taxi drivers seeking compensation from the state for losses allegedly caused by ride sharing services like Uber, in a lawsuit a judge described as “fanciful”.
A trade mark application by a China Australia trade association contains an “identical copy” of the Sydney Opera House’s sail design, the trust behind the iconic landmark has claimed as it seeks revocation of the mark on the grounds of bad faith.