May / 28

Unfair contract terms – how could they affect you?

Sharon Givoni Consulting Consumer Law

On 2 November 2016, a new law, Treasury Legislation Amendment (Small Business and Unfair Contract Terms) Bill 2015 (Cth), came into effect. The aim was to protect small businesses from unfair terms in business-to-business standard form contracts. This law applies to standard form contracts that are either entered into, varied on or after, or renewed […]

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Copyright Your Craft
May / 24

Copyright your Craft: An event held by Craft Victoria

Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright, Intellectual Property

    On Thursday, 17 May 2018, as part of Law Week, Craft Victoria held a panel discussion to bring craft makers and legal professionals together to discuss copyright and intellectual property. The theme was copyright your craft. Our law firm attended the discussion. The purpose of this update is to share some of the useful […]

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Pet Food Packaging: Legal Requirements in Australia
May / 16

Pet Food Packaging: Legal Requirements in Australia

Sharon Givoni Consulting Intellectual Property

Starting a pet food business in Australia? Over the years we have had a number of clients come in to see us to review their pet food packaging and to make sure it is compliant with all pet food labelling regulations and standards. One of the issues that can be problematic is when people make […]

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Replica furniture and copyright law
May / 15

Replica furniture – is it legal?

Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright, Intellectual Property, Protecting ideas, Trade marks

Unsurprisingly, the growth of replica furniture industry has grown over the years. An example of this is the replicas of the Tolix chair, which was designed by Xavier Pauchard, in 1934 in France. In light of this clients often ask us: is it legal to copy a furniture design? We have covered the issue of copycat products here. […]

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Protecting your designs - Furniture Contract terms and conditions
May / 15

Furniture Suppliers Beware! Protecting your designs in Contracts

Sharon Givoni Consulting Arts and design, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Protecting ideas

Beware of hidden traps in trading terms and conditions There is a major industry issue faced by many furniture suppliers. Some larger furniture retailers have snuck some clauses into their trading terms which are disadvantageous to suppliers, particularly when it comes to protecting your designs from being copied. One of these clauses purports to give […]

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Register or lose it! Protecting your furniture designs in Australia

Sharon Givoni Consulting Arts and design, Copyright, Intellectual Property

Have you ever wondered how some retailers can sell replica furniture and not get into trouble? Have you ever wondered if there is anything you can do in Australia to prevent your designs from being copied? Fear not, if you are a furniture maker in Australia then rest assured there are things that you can (and should!) […]

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Stranger Things Letter Pop Up Bar Menu
Oct / 27

Stranger things have happened – Netflix writes funny cease and desist letter

Sharon Givoni Consulting Consumer Law, Copyright, Entertainment Law, Film, Intellectual Property

When Sheriff Hopper knocks – Netflix cease and desist letter gets media attention  The words “cease and desist” letters often get used in intellectual property matters. We think of bigwigs in Hollywood going after fans and creators of fan fiction, sending cease and desist letters threatening legal action if people are using content without appropriate […]

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Intellectual Property Law and Fashion Design
Oct / 09

Interview on Intellectual Property Law and Fashion Design for the ABC

Sharon Givoni Consulting Intellectual Property

Sharon Givoni was recently interviewed for the ABC in relation to how IP laws in Australia protect fashion designers. Sharon takes some time to answer some burning questions on copyright, designs and fashion, looking at the adequacy of protection in Australia and overseas.   How big an issue is copyright infringement in Australia? I think […]

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Trade Mark Registration – What's in a Name?
Sep / 28

Trade Mark Registration – What’s in a Name?

Sharon Givoni Consulting Intellectual Property, Trade marks

When we brand things, our brains perceive them as more special and valuable than they actually are. -MARTIN LINDSTROM The word ‘Nike’ with its ‘swoosh’ logo and the word ‘McDonalds’ with its ‘golden arches’ logo are examples of world-famous trade marks. So long as your business’ sign serves to indicate to consumers where the goods […]

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Social Media Policy in the Workplace
Sep / 20

Social Media Policy in the Workplace – Who Owns an Account?

Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright, Intellectual Property, Internet Law, Social Media

We all know that social media accounts can be a valuable asset to any business. In the early days when an account was linked to a person, ownership questions were far less contentious. However, those days are long gone, and the revenue stream which comes from social media connections means that the ownership of those […]

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