Media Release

Defence Releases 'Smart' Intellectual Property Policy

The Australian defence organisation has released its new Intellectual Property policy Getting Smarter about Knowledge Rights, at the annual Defence Procurement Conference in Canberra today.

The policy is a blueprint for ensuring that Defence and Australian industry have rights to some of the world's most advanced technologies into the next century.

Launching the policy, the Secretary for Defence, Mr Paul Barratt, said that Getting Smarter about Knowledge Rights allowed for the most practical management of intellectual property issues.

"This policy is critical to maintaining Australia's 'knowledge edge' and consequently sustaining national defence capability," Mr Barratt said.

"It reflects the integral role of Australian industry in building national defence capability and at the same time allows for transparent management of intellectual property issues within the organisation.

"Perhaps the most important element of the policy, however, is the recognition that Defence has to be pro-active in targeting the intellectual property needed to support and develop national defence capability," he said.

The Intellectual Property policy is an initiative of the Defence and Industry: Strategic Policy Statement, and is the product of several months of consultation both within Defence and with many other corporate and government organisations.

Getting Smarter about Knowledge Rights can be viewed via http://www.defence.gov.au/dao
Hard copies of the new policy will be available at the Procurement Conference and on phoned request to (02) Annette Taylor on 6265 4410.

Further information:

Intellectual Property Help Desk (02) 6266 7325

Issued by the Defence Public Affairs Organisation, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT, 2600

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