The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) has published its decision on the trade mark rights for MANUKA HONEY.
The decision refuses the application to register MANUKA HONEY as a certification mark. It refuses the application on several grounds, including that MANUKA HONEY is descriptive of the goods of the application and is therefore not registrable under the Trade Marks Act 2002.
In 2015 an application was made to IPONZ seeking registration for MANUKA HONEY as a certification trade mark in Aotearoa New Zealand for honey produced in New Zealand.
The mark was formally accepted on 3 April 2018 in the name of the Manuka Honey Appellation Society (MHAS).
The Australian Manuka Honey Association Limited (AMHA) opposed the application.
Both parties have 20 working days to appeal the decision to the High Court.
Read the full decision: