IP Australia Releases 2025 Report on Intellectual Property Trends

It’s out! IP Australia has just released the 2025 report on the latest trends in Intellectual Property, including trade marks, design rights and copyright.

Read on to see how those trends align with what we are seeing at MoranLaw.

Trade Marks and Design Rights on the Rise

The Australian IP Report 2025 highlights the growing importance of trade marks and design rights in Australia, driven by innovation in household goods and transport sectors. Trade mark filings rose by 2.8% and design filings hit a record high with an 8.9% increase in 2024.

IP Rights: A Business Lifeline in Uncertain Times

The report highlights the crucial role IP rights play in helping businesses navigate global economic uncertainties. By providing a store of value and increasing resilience to shocks, IP rights can be a game-changer for companies looking to stay ahead. Some key findings that caught our attention include:

• Industries with registered design rights tend to have higher productivity, R&D spend, and exports.
• After filing for a trade mark, Australian businesses employ 7% more people on average, and spend 5% more on R&D (compared to the firm and its peers with no trade marks).
• Businesses that can resell their IP on secondary markets may boost their IP activity when facing uncertainty, using IP rights as a store of value to recoup investments in knowledge.

Key trends for 2024 in trade mark filings in Australia

IP Australia highlighted the following trends:

• Trade mark filings in 2024 were up by 2.8% on their level in 2023 and exceeded only by their record level in 2021.
• Non-resident filings grew by 9.0% to a record level, driven by continued strong growth in trade mark filings from China.
• Filings fell for technology-intensive services, while filings for household items rose (+22.2% from their 2023 levels).
• A 0.9% decline in resident filings was likely due to softer domestic economic conditions, with modest growth in household expenditure and a declining rate of new business entry in 2024.
• The number of active Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that hold trade marks has grown by over 10,000 in 2024, from around 6.89% to 7.02% of total active SMEs.

Interestingly, top filers for the year were both foreign companies with Swiss Pharmaceutical manufacturer Novartis AG filing 178 applications, followed by French cosmetic company L'Oréal with 121 applications. The top domestic filer went to gaming machine producer Aristocrat Technologies with 95 applications.

What is MoranLaw seeing?

At MoranLaw, around one-third of our trademark filings in 2024 came from the health and beauty industry, reflecting the sector’s continued innovation and brand expansion.

Animal products and tech/software each accounted for about 13%, with the remaining filings spread across entertainment, food and beverage, travel, business and finance, and sporting goods.

A notable 62.3% of filings came from overseas applicants, highlighting strong international interest in securing trademark rights in Australia.

Meanwhile, New Zealand applicants contributed 22.6% of filings, reflecting active cross-border trademark strategies within the region.

Australian applicants accounted for 15.1%, indicating a solid level of domestic brand development and protection.

We agree with IP Australia that Intellectual Property plays a vital role in strengthening a business. As IP is often treated as a standalone asset during business sales or valuations, it is essential to ensure it is properly secured and maintained. When managed strategically, IP can deliver substantial commercial value.

To read the full report see here: Australian IP Report 2025 | IP Australia

For more information and strategic IP advice, please contact our MoranLaw experts.