Rio Tinto subsidiary Technological Resources has successfully challenged a decision by IP Australia to reject a patent application for a method of separating mined material, with a judge finding the claimed invention was not a collection of mere working directions as a delegate had found.
Whether judges can alter the terms of litigation funding agreements in class actions is a question that will remain unsettled for now, after litigation funder IMF Bentham chose to sidestep a lengthy, costly and risky challenge to the reach of the court’s powers.
Monster Energy has launched another Federal Court case against Vittoria Food & Beverage seeking to block the coffee maker from trading on the popularity of its Mother energy drink brand, and the beverage giant will have to convince the court that its brand is not so strong that confusion among consumers is not likely.
Litigation funder Augusta Ventures has brought its promised appeal of a groundbreaking ruling that put it on the hook for paying security for costs in an employment class action over the classification of casual mine workers.
Certain claims in a shareholder class action against insolvent training company Vocation and auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers have been dropped, as the long-running case awaits a new trial date pending the outcome of a separate Full Court appeal.
Monster Energy has lost its opposition to coffee company Vittoria Food & Beverage’s proposed ‘Mothersky’ trade mark, with a delegate of the Trade Marks Office saying the energy drink company’s ‘Mother’ energy drink brand was so strong in the minds of consumers that there was no likelihood of confusion.
The banks and executives at the centre of a landmark criminal cartel case can question four ACCC investigators and witnesses from JP Morgan at an upcoming committal hearing, with a magistrate saying Friday there were “substantial reasons in the interests of justice” to allow the cross-examination.
Former Tennis Australia director Harold Mitchell was “pushing very hard” for the Seven Network to score the domestic broadcast rights to the Australian Open in 2013 over better offers from rival broadcasters, the Federal Court heard Monday.
A hearing scheduled for next year in the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s case against two NAB wealth management units will focus solely on how steep a penalty the bank should face after it made admissions about its fees for no service conduct.
Murray Goulburn has agreed to pay $37.5 million to resolve the second of two shareholder class actions over its 2016 profit forecasts, as the $42 million settlement of the first class action is held up over questions about the litigation funder’s commission.