Confidential information/trade secrets are valuable intellectual property assets of many businesses and organisations. R & D organisations may lose their rights to seek patent protection of resulting inventions where publication or disclosure of the invention occurs prior to patent filing. This article provides an overview of the legal framework for the protection of confidential information/trade secrets in Australia and provides guidance on strategies for their protection.
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From 30 May 2025 all businesses that have an annual turnover of $3 million in a financial year, must report a ransomware or cyber extortion within 72 hours of making or having a payment made on its behalf. This is in addition to existing reporting obligations under the Notifiable Data Breach scheme. This article explores these reporting obligations and offers guidance on some strategies to consider for data protection and privacy law compliance.
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With on-line digital markets rapidly evolving with the development of new technologies, including AI tools and AI services, the ACCC in its final report released on the 23 June 2025 has identified a number of developments and emerging issues for consumers in digital platform markets which need monitoring. This article explores some of these issues and the ACCC’s recommended regulatory reforms to address them.
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In this Legal Update, Stephens Lawyers & Consultants looks at three (3) major risk areas faced by businesses for breach of the Australian Consumer Law which arise out of the ACCC’s 2025-26 compliance and enforcement priorities and offers guidance on some steps that businesses can consider implementing to minimise risk of non-compliance with the Australian Consumer Law.
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With consumers increasingly relying on on-line reviews about products or services in making purchase decisions, “one star”, “negative” or “fake” reviews can result in serious harm, reputational damage and loss of business. A recent court decision shows how posting a “one star” Google review can be a very costly exercise for reviewers, particularly where the review is defamatory and false or fake. Businesses and individuals subjected to “one star” reviews, can take legal action.
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