October Edition | From our President - Cherie van Wensveen
As we move through the final quarter of 2025, it’s great to see momentum continuing across our regions with a strong mix of technical, commercial, and practical sessions connecting our members.
Since August, our Queensland and New South Wales committees have each hosted well-received events that sparked thoughtful discussion and collaboration. September’s Tech Transfer Without Borders: How Culture Shapes Commercialisation Strategies in Brisbane highlighted the importance of understanding international perspectives in IP practice, while Sydney’s October session From Campus to Commercial Success: Pathways, Partnerships and IP Strategy brought together researchers, investors and IP professionals to unpack the real-world pathways from research to market impact.
In mid-October, our Intermediate Licensing Workshop in Adelaide once again provided valuable, hands-on learning for those navigating the “what, why and how” of licence agreements, reinforcing the importance of skills development across our community.
This week our Queensland team hosted with a startup success story from Monty Compost Co, a home-grown innovation redefining composting and waste management. November continues with two insightful online sessions with Julian Cheng (Gilbert + Tobin) presenting Untangling Royalty Withholding Tax: the PepsiCo decision and implications for ATO guidance on software payments, and Sara Corleison of BOTALLOW sharing From By-Product to Beauty: The Commercialisation of New Zealand Tallow.
LESANZ proudly sponsors the free public Francis Gurry Lecture Series which returns across Sydney, Melbourne and now Auckland as well as live-streamed. This year featuring “Unlocking Innovation: Balancing Protection and Access” to be presented by Kathi Vidal Former Director, USPTO and always a highlight on the LESANZ calendar.
Finally, planning is now well underway for our 2026 Annual Conference in Melbourne, to be held in May at Melbourne Connect. Themed “Laneways to Licensing”, the program will celebrate creativity, connection and the pathways that bring ideas to life. Sponsorship packages are now live, and we warmly invite our partners and members to join us early as we shape another engaging, collaborative and forward-looking event.
As always, my thanks go to our Regional Chairs, event organisers, and volunteers for their time and dedication, your work continues to drive LESANZ’s success and community spirit.
Membership Fee Update for 2026
At our October Board meeting, LESANZ approved a modest adjustment to membership fees for 2026, with the Individual membership fee increasing by $20. The last review occurred in 2023, and this increase reflects inflationary pressures and the need to sustain our member services and event delivery while continuing to provide strong value through LESANZ’s professional development programs, networking opportunities, and annual conference.
Renewal notices will be issued to members very soon, and corporate representatives will also be contacted directly to arrange group renewals in readiness for the 2026 membership year commencing 1 January.
Meet our newest John Stonier Prize winner for Licensing Law and Technology Transfer - Claire Allen – Associate, TMT, Corrs Chambers Westgarth.
Hi, I’m Claire Allen, an Associate in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications team at Corrs Chambers Westgarth in Melbourne.
This year I had the chance to attend my first LESANZ Conference on the Gold Coast — and it didn’t disappoint. From insightful sessions to generous conversations over coffee (and cocktails), it was a great introduction to the LESANZ community. I particularly enjoyed the gin-making session, a hands-on reminder that creativity, chemistry and a well-balanced mix can take you a long way, in both spirits and IP. I also appreciated how open and collegiate the group is, and I’m looking forward to staying involved.
[Claire and President, Sue Muggleston at the presentation of Claire's award at the Gold Coast Conference - right]
I joined Corrs in 2022 and advise clients on commercial and regulatory issues across technology, intellectual property, privacy and data. My work often centres around helping clients commercialise their innovations, from negotiating IP licensing and research collaborations, to advising on platform rollouts and transactions involving emerging technologies. I enjoy the mix of legal detail and strategic thinking that comes with working in a fast-evolving space.
Alongside practice, I recently enrolled in a Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne with a focus on IP and tech law. My first subject (and one of the highlights) has been Licensing Law and Technology Transfer, taught by Peter Gretton and Peter Hallett. This subject deepened my understanding of the commercial and legal levers that shape licensing arrangements. I was honoured to be awarded the John Stonier Prize for the subject, which included LESANZ membership and a ticket to this year’s conference..
Outside of work, I spend a lot of time running (preferably early, and near the beach), cooking Italian food, and listening to podcasts. I’ve recently been enjoying You’re Wrong About — perfect for long walks or pasta-making. I’m also gearing up for a trip to Europe later this year, which I’m hoping will involve excellent wine and minimal flight delays.
Looking forward to seeing more familiar faces at LESANZ events soon.
Event Wrap: LESANZ Qld | Monty Compost Case Study
Thank you to speakers Ashley Baxter (Monty Compost), Stefan (Antler) and Grace (UniQuest Extension Fund) for an engaging deep‑dive into taking climate hardware from concept to scale. We explored Monty’s pivot from 1,000+ consumer compost probes to an industrial B2B model serving organics processors, landfills and adjacent industries. Highlights included how custom PCB/firmware, mesh‑networked probes and an in‑house LoRaWAN gateway enable automated temperature compliance, better unit economics, and a platform to add methane/odour and perimeter monitoring. Discussion also covered founder resilience, investor perspectives on traction, and why execution can trump registered IP in building a moat.