Amendments to the Patents Regulations 2014, the Trade Mark Regulations 2003, the Trade Marks (International Registration) Regulations 2012, and the Design Regulations 1954 have been notified in the New Zealand Gazette as of today.

These amendments will effect a number of changes to the patents, trade mark and design regulations, including:

• Permitting an address for service to be in either New Zealand or Australia;
• Amendments to micro-organism deposit requirements for patent applications;
• Amendments to divisional patent applications;
• Changes to the extension of time provisions for filing a counterstatement in patent revocation proceedings.

The changes to the address for service requirements give effect to the Single Economic Market agenda announced by New Zealand and Australia in 2009. For more information, please refer to the following:

• Read the amendments to the Patent Regulations 2014
• Read the amendments to the Trade Mark Regulations 2003
• Read the amendments to the Trade Mark (International Registration) Regulations 2012
• Read the amendments to the Design Regulations 1954