A Sneak Peek at IP Australia’s New Online Services Portal

When IP Australia released its Consultation Paper setting out details of proposed fee changes, it simultaneously revealed plans to expand online services, with some fees to be reduced when transactions are conducted online rather than via traditional payment channels (see IP Australia Proposes – Mostly – Modest Fee Increases).

Filing Services Coming Mid-Year

Many thanks to Paul Dobson at IP Australia for letting us know about an update to the video, and providing a replacement link.

Paul also informed us that the eServices Portal will be supporting trade mark registration payments this month (not filings, as originally reported), and that filing for all IP rights is expected to be supported by mid-2012.

It now seems that a new IP Australia ‘eServices Portal’ may be launched before the end of April, with the first services to be made accessible via the portal being IP rights (patents, trade marks, designs and plant breeder’s rights) renewals, and trade mark registration payments.  Although it is already possible to file patent and trade mark applications online, this is currently done through separate interfaces.  The longer-term plan appears to be to bring all online services within the single eServices Portal.

Once the portal launches, it will be possible for individuals and organisations to register for access to online services.  Registration will provide users with a username and password to access an account which will retain many commonly-required details, such as name, address and other contact information.  The account will also hold a history of past transactions, available for review.

A FIRST LOOK AT ONLINE RENEWAL PAYMENTS

Over the past few days, IP Australia has started to upload instructional videos to its YouTube channel.  If you can stand being instructed, in excruciating detail, how to enter a username and password into a web form, and click on a ‘submit’ button, you can have a look at how renewal payments will work through the eServices Portal.  Overall, it appears that the service will be quite simple and efficient to use, allowing multiple rights to be renewed, across all of the types of rights administered by IP Australia, in a single transaction.

The renewals demonstration video is below:

PRE-REGISTER NOW!

IP Australia is currently accepting requests for pre-registration with eServices.  As explained on the eServices page of their web site:

If you would like to register your organisation for eServices please send an email to preregistration@ipaustralia.gov.au with the following information:

1. The contact details for your nominated administrator(s) and any registered users including:
   1. Individual full name
   2. Email address (preferably an individual address)
   3. Contact phone number; and
   4. If you would like them to be an administrator or a general user of eServices

Organisations that have applied for pre-registration will be sent an email with user and access detail to their nominated email address on the day that eServices is released.

Tags: Australia, Patent Office