IP Australia wins three iAwards for innovative blockchain trade mark technology

Canberra, 22 May, 2019 – IP Australia, with its partner Agile Digital, has won three awards for Smart Trade Mark, taking out the premier Digital Canberra iAward at last night’s Digital Canberra iAwards Gala Dinner, as well as the categories of Public Sector & Government, and Infrastructure and Platforms Innovation of the Year. IP Australia and Agile Digital will now represent the ACT at the National iAwards held in Melbourne on 29 August 2019.  Local Canberra exporter, Pialligo Estate, piloted Smart Trade Mark and joined IP Australia and Agile Digital on stage to accept the awards.

Smart Trade Mark provides Australian trade mark owners with protection against counterfeiting in global marketplaces. A Smart Trade Mark is a digital fingerprint for registered trade mark owners to establish product provenance.

With the worldwide sales of counterfeit goods exceeding USD$1.5 trillion per year, Smart Trade Mark can be applied to a range of products, offering stronger protection to Australian exporters.[1]

Michael Schwager, IP Australia’s Director General, commented on the award win and technology,

“This innovative Smart Trade Mark technology will use the Australian Government's digital stamp of authenticity and include transparent information on the product’s provenance. Smart Trade Mark provides international consumers with confidence in Australian products. I am excited that we are delivering technology that supports Australian businesses and increases our trade marks’ value for Australian rights holders. It’s also great to see our agency awarded for its innovation.”

In partnership with Agile Digital, Smart Trade Mark is an enabler of "track and trace" service providers (and technology developers) in Australia. A cryptographically registered trade mark can serve as a “digital green and gold thread” through the variety of blockchain-powered track and trace solutions. This unified thread of verifiable digital fingerprints can offer consumers abroad a more unified, secure, and accessible “made in Australia” experience than industry-specific solutions achieve alone.

Smart Trade Mark provides additional protections against suspicious activity in the way of notifications. As each scan of the product, including at the consumer end, is location transparent and notarised as an event against the blockchain, the technology is able to identify suspicious events and the location where those events took place (warning the trade mark owner). This notification and the data available on the blockchain empowers trade mark owners and local authorities with greater insights to counterfeiting activity in global supply chains.

For over 25 years, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has been driving an innovation nation through their iAwards program. The National Awards for Excellence through Information Technology, now the iAwards, was first held in 1993. The iAwards is now Australia's longest running and most broadly scoped innovation recognition program, promoting excellence in the Australian digital ecosystem from the likes of Google Maps, Atlassian, Wotif and WiseTech Global.

About IP Australia

IP Australia is the Australian Government agency that administers IP rights and legislation relating to patents, trade marks, designs and plant breeder's rights. It contributes to the innovation system more broadly by using its specialist skills and experience to assist Australian businesses to make the most of their IP and to provide advice to government. Learn more at www.ipaustralia.gov.au.