Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) If a dispute arises between any 2 or more joint applicants in relation to a patent application whether, or in what manner, the application should proceed, the Commissioner may, on a request made in accordance with the regulations by any of those applicants, make any determinations the Commissioner thinks fit for enabling the application to proceed in the name of one or more of the applicants alone, or for regulating the manner in which it is to proceed, or both, as the case requires.
(2) The Commissioner may make a determination under subsection (1) whether or not the application has lapsed.
(3) The Commissioner must not make a determination under subsection (1) without first giving each joint applicant a reasonable opportunity to be heard.