Last modified on December 3rd, 2022 at 3:31 am

Artificial intelligence no longer capable of being the inventor of a patent

The Full Federal Court of Australia has overruled the decision that permitted artificial intelligence (AI) as being the inventor of a patent. In July 2021, it was held in Stephen Thaler v Comptroller General of Patents Trade Marks and Designs that AI is capable of being named as an inventor of a patent. This was …

Last modified on December 3rd, 2022 at 3:32 am

Data collection of Australian athletes needs regulation

The Australian Academy of Science and the University of Western Australia’s Minderoo Tech & Policy Lab has released a discussion paper on sensitive data collected from professional Australian athletes. The discussion paper is focused on professional athletes and the data collected and used by commercial parties over the last decade. Data collected about athletes is …

Last modified on December 3rd, 2022 at 3:32 am

Digital Economy Strategy update for 2022

To cement Australia’s digital economy, the Australian Government has released an update to its Digital Economy Strategy for 2022. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Australian Government has invested more than $3.5B in digital initiatives and has shown no sign of slowing down. The Digital Economy Strategy 2022 update has extended the 2021-22 federal budget …

Last modified on November 21st, 2022 at 5:47 pm

Adequacy of digital platforms’ disinformation report

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released a report to the government on the adequacy of digital platforms’ disinformation and news quality. As part of the Digital Platforms Inquiry, the Australian government is preparing a voluntary code of practice to address disinformation and misinformation online. This code was launched on 22 February 2021 …

Last modified on November 21st, 2022 at 5:48 pm

European Union releases report on proposed MiCA Bill

The European Union (EU) published a report by the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) on the upcoming Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation Bill (MiCA Bill). The MiCA Bill was initially announced in 2020 to expand cryptocurrency use to businesses throughout the EU. The MiCA Bill covers a variety of crypto-related topics with mixed reception from …

Last modified on November 21st, 2022 at 5:49 pm

Australian Parliament amends national security legislation

The Australian Parliament recently amended national security legislation via the National Security Legislation Amendment (Comprehensive Review and Other Measures No.1) Bill to enhance Australia’s security capabilities. The Bill is coming off the back of the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the REDSPICE initiative. REDSPICE is a defensive program that stands for resilience, effects, defence, space, intelligence, cyber, …

Last modified on November 21st, 2022 at 5:50 pm

ASIC warns social media influencers of potential breach of Corporations Act

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has published an Information Sheet (INFO 269) warning social media influencers of their potential breach of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). INFO 269 is targeted at online personalities who promote or sell financial products and services to their audience. ASIC has been investigating these “finfluencers” since mid-2021 due …

Last modified on November 21st, 2022 at 5:51 pm

ANZ first bank to issue Australian dollar stablecoin

The ANZ Bank has minted the first-ever stablecoin that is pegged to the Australian dollar. This move by the bank is off the back of Australia’s push to legitimise the use of cryptocurrency in real transactions. Senator Andrew Bragg recently announced a new legislative proposal by way of the Digital Services Act. This piece of …

Last modified on November 21st, 2022 at 5:54 pm

Virtual meetings and e-signatures become permanent for corporations

The Corporations Amendment (Meetings and Documents) Act 2022 (Cth) (Act) has received royal assent to make virtual meetings and e-signatures permanent for Australian corporations. The Act was initially introduced as a temporary measure in response to COVID-19 in 2020 to enable businesses to continue operating without physically interacting. This worked as an immediate band-aid solution …

Last modified on November 21st, 2022 at 5:55 pm

US Senator proposes Bill to prevent economic sanction evasion

Senator Warren of Massachusetts United States has proposed the Digital Assets Sanctions Compliance Enhancement Bill (Bill) to prevent cryptocurrency companies from conducting business with sanctioned Russian persons. This Bill came as a response to the recent threat of Russia using cryptocurrency to avoid international economic sanctions. Australia, alongside the United States, the European Union, and …