The Australian Mint and its Canadian equivalent are in a legal dispute over a set of coins celebrating the children’s book Possum Magic, with the Canadian Mint claiming they were created with its patented method of printing colour onto metal without permission.

The Canadian Mint has taken the matter to Australian courts, asking that the coins not yet circulating be surrendered over, or destroyed under supervision.

The lawsuit has been expanded to include other $2 coins, including two Rememberance Day coins and the limited Olympic themed edition from last year, as well as demanding the Australian mint, which falls under the government, give any profits, damages and costs associated with the lawsuit.

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In response, the Australian government has claimed it is using a different method, along with filing a counter claim asking the Canadian patent be declared invalid on the grounds that it is not novel enough, compared to what has been done previously.

The Mints also create currency for other countries, alongside developing new technology and manufacturing processes, which makes them business rivals on an international scale.

In December last year, the Canadian Mint sued the Australian counterpart over its red poppy coins created for Remembrance Day, which were said to also infringe on the coloured printing patent. The 500,000 $2 coins had been in circulation since 2012.

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