Intellectual property arrangements

The Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to undertake a 12 month public inquiry into Australia's intellectual property system. This inquiry is now complete.

In undertaking this inquiry, the Commission was asked to consider whether current arrangements provide an appropriate balance between access to ideas and products, and encouraging innovation, investment and the production of creative works.

In recommending changes to the current system to improve the overall wellbeing of Australian society the Commission was to have regard to:

• incentives for innovation and investment, including freedom to build on existing innovation
• Australia's international trade obligations
• the relative contribution of intellectual property to the Australian economy
• the economy-wide and distributional consequences of recommendations, including their impacts on trade and competition
• ensuring the intellectual property system will be efficient and robust through time, in light of economic changes
• how proposed changes fit with, or may require changes to, other existing regulation or forms of assistance
• the relevant findings and recommendations of recently completed reviews.