On 15 April 2013, the bulk of 'Raising the Bar' amendments to the Australian Patents Act come into effect. These amendments will change Australian patent law significantly by raising patentability and specification description requirements.

All patent applications filed after 15 April 2013, plus all pending applications where examination is not requested before that date, will be examined against higher, more stringent validity standards.

There is a window for patent applicants to enable the current law to apply to new or pending patent applications. This can be taken advantage of if applicants request examination on pending Australian patent applications, or file any new applications together with an examination request, before 15 April 2013.