International cooperation

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IPONZ offices will be closed from 5pm 24 December 2024 until 8:30am 3 January 2025. Our website services remain available, but IPONZ contacts and our Service Centre will be unavailable via phone or email during this time.

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Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand

International cooperation

We foster international relationships with other IP offices to benefit New Zealand business.

Australia

Single Economic Market (SEM)

Under the 2009 Single Economic Market concept, the New Zealand and Australian Governments have been working to remove regulatory barriers to firms operating in both markets. The aim is to create a more seamless trans-Tasman business environment.

In March 2013, Australia and New Zealand signed a bilateral arrangement to implement a trans-Tasman licensing regime for patent attorneys, one of the key outcomes of the Single Economic Market agenda. The Patents (Trans-Tasman Patent Attorneys and Other Matters) Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament in November 2015 and is expected to pass into law in February 2017.

For more information on the trans-Tasman patent attorney regime see the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website.

China

State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO) – IPONZ bilateral arrangement

IPONZ and SIPO signed an arrangement to strengthen cooperation on operational intellectual property matters in 2014. The arrangement provides a platform for collaboration including sharing operational practices and IP awareness information to help businesses trading in both countries.

Both IPONZ and SIPO agree that, while the offices differ in size, they face similar operational issues and share mutual interest in raising IP awareness and contributing to international patent systems discussions.

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