Matthew Rimmer

Dr Matthew Rimmer is a Professor in Intellectual Property and Innovation Law at the Faculty of Law, at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He is a leader of the QUT Intellectual Property and Innovation Law research program, and a member of the QUT Digital Media Research Centre (QUT DMRC) the QUT Australian Centre for Health Law Research (QUT ACHLR), and the QUT International Law and Global Governance Research Program (QUT IP IL). Rimmer has published widely on copyright law and information technology, patent law and biotechnology, access to medicines, plain packaging of tobacco products, intellectual property and climate change, and Indigenous Intellectual Property. He is currently working on research on intellectual property, the creative industries, and 3D printing; intellectual property and public health; and intellectual property and trade, looking at the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and the Trade in Services Agreement. His work is archived at QUT ePrints SSRN Abstracts Bepress Selected Works.
  • Joined: October 7, 2013
  • Articles: 48

3D Printing Shakes Up Intellectual Property Rights

The emerging trend in 3D printing of products has resulted in a massive spike in patents being classified, according to QUT researchers.

The QUT Faculty of Law Intellectual Property and Innovation Research Program is hosting an event on 3D Printing on Wednesday, October 25, 2018 at the State Library of Queensland.

The half-day symposium considers the role of 3D printing in intellectual property, education, community participation and innovation.

What next for mega trade deals? Australian Senate passes Pacific Trade Deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership

QUT's leading legal expert on the Trans Pacific Partnership says the deal has profound impacts for Australia but warns settlement of cross-border disputes by an international tribunal remains controversial. 

Professor Matthew Rimmer, from QUT’s Faculty of Law, said it had taken more than a decade to do but today the Australian Senate passed the legislation by 33 votes to 15.

“The most controversial issues remained investor-state dispute settlement, labour rights, health care and the protection of the environment,” Professor Rimmer said.

Stomp out smoking with global plain packaging

Law-makers in South East Asia should follow Australia’s lead and stomp out ‘glamourous’ cigarette packaging, says a QUT law academic in the lead-up to World No Tobacco Day (May 31). In 2012 Australia became the first country in the world to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes – a move that aimed to “kill the glamour”, make smoking less appealing to all ages, limit misleading packaging, and provide more obvious health warnings. QUT Professor of Intellectual Property Law and Innovation Law Matthew Rimmer said Australia’s plain packaging law was a hard-fought win.

The Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products – a Special Issue of the QUT Law Review – Open Access

The QUT Law Review has officially published the final version of Volume 17 (2) – Special Issue on the Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products. This issue looks at important legal and regulatory issues surrounding plain packaging reforms and the ways in which other jurisdictions have approached plain packaging reform and policy. In particular, it covers Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland.

The Global Tobacco Epidemic, the Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products, and the World Trade Organization

Abstract: In response to complaints by Ukraine, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Indonesia, the Government of Australia has defended the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products in the World Trade Organization. This article focuses upon the legal defence of Australia before the WTO Panel. A key part of its defence has been the strong empirical evidence for the efficacy of plain packaging of tobacco products as a legitimate health measure designed to combat the global tobacco epidemic. Australia has provided a convincing case that plain packaging of tobacco products is compatible with the TRIPS Agreement 1994 – particularly the clauses relating to the aims and objectives of the agreement; the requirements in respect of trade mark law; and the parallel measures in relation to access to essential medicines.