G'DAY COMMISSIONER: a group of visiting US patent experts says Australian technology innovators need to improve their intellectual property protection if they are to take their products into the US. Apparently the problem is that Austrailian patent solicitors don't have the expertise to correctly advise software developers and other technologists in proper US patent procedures.

To redress the situation, the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia invited a team of nine US patent specialists to give lectures and workshops on US patent drafting practice and procedures.

According to an attendee, the US attorneys on the course, particularly Judge Paul Michel (the head of the US Court of Appeals), were impressed with the drafting skills of the Australian lawyers. "It also became clear that their law is very similar to and moving towards ours in a number of areas, which allows us to export our drafting skills to overseas clients, as well as provide them to Australians." Well, I'm glad they flew over all those people just to find that out . . .