The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) is the government office responsible for the granting and registration of intellectual property rights. It deals with patent, trade mark, design and plant variety rights.
IPONZ is responsible for the examination, grant and registration of intellectual property rights under the following laws:
- Patents Act 2013
- The Trade Marks Act 2002
- The Designs Act 1953
- The Plant Variety Rights Act 1987
IPONZ also maintains registers of these rights and interests and its functions include:
- Processing and examination patent, trade mark, design and plant variety right applications
- Conducting hearings on oppositions to intellectual property (IP) registrations and eligibility matters
- Acting as a receiving office for the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
Intellectual property Logium provides following services to protect IP in New Zealand.
- Trademark
- Patent
- Design
Copyright:
Registration of copyright is not required in New Zealand and no formal system for the registration of copyright exists in New Zealand. The Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is empowered to prosecute the offences of manufacturing, importing and selling counterfeited goods and pirated works prescribed under laws. New Zealand’s is a member of various international agreements on copyright, most notable is the Berne Convention administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). When original work is created in New Zealand, it is automatically protected here and under the copyright laws in countries that are party to those agreements. Original works created in other member countries are also protected in New Zealand under these international agreements.
