Collins v Northern Territory [2007] FCAFC 152

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Collins v Northern Territory [2007] FCAFC 152

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – patents – infringement – contributory infringement – supply of a product – what constitutes supply – reason to believe that person supplied would put product to infringing use – criteria of reason to believe – staple commercial product exclusion – statutory licence to enter and remove timber of particular species – timber used to produce oil according to patented process – whether grant of statutory licence constituted supply for purposes of contributory infringement – whether mere permission to collect constitutes supply – whether statutory licence confers realty interest in the nature of profit a prendre – whether grant of realty interest constitutes supply – whether unmilled standing timber the subject of the licence constituted a staple commercial product – timber commercially useable for non-infringing purposes – relevant product class – unmilled timber PROPERTY LAW – licence – profit a prendre – interest in the nature of profit a prendre – statutory licence to cut and remove timber – contractual licences compared WORDS AND PHRASES – "supply" – "staple commercial product" – "reason to believe"

Crown Lands Act 1992 (NT) Income Tax Assessment Act 1936(Cth) s 26(f) Patent Act 1977 (UK) s 60 Patents Act 1952 (US) s 271 Patents Act 1990 (Cth) ss 65, 117

European Economic Community Council Agreement Relating to Community Patents (Luxembourg, 15 Dec 1989) Art 26

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