We’ve made a number of improvements to our website and online case management facility as of 18 July 2019.
Trade Mark Check tool
IPONZ is pleased to announce that its new tool called ‘Trade Mark Check’ is now live and available as an option to check the trade mark register.
Trade Mark Check has been developed with low IP-awareness audiences in mind, and provides a simpler and easier interface. It is able to look for word marks and logos, and indicate if any like marks already exist on the New Zealand trade marks register.
Trade Mark Check uses trade mark examination software that reflects dedicated verbal and image search algorithms. It integrates image search recognition techniques developed over the last 10 years. Trade Mark Check takes advantage of AI enhancements to assess the relevance and enhance the quality of the results.
Third parties may now facilitate assignment requests without adding themselves as agent
In response to an increasing number of assignment requests where the requestor is not expected to serve as an agent for the long term, IPONZ has now expanded the options available for indicating agency. Third parties may now file Change of Ownership requests for patents, trade marks, designs and plant variety rights without necessarily adding themselves as the new agent for these cases.
Assignment requests filed in this manner will still require requestors to provide documents indicating their authority to facilitate the assignment, as well as evidence of the transfer of ownership.