IPONZ is pleased to announce that Trade Mark Check is now live and available to assist searches of the trade mark register.

Trade Mark Check searches words and logos to see if a trade mark, or another like it, is already registered in New Zealand. It has been developed for members of the general public who have a limited awareness of intellectual property, and helps them navigate a search of the NZ register more easily. The existing trade mark search will continue to be available for more advanced searches and specialised use.

You can use Trade Mark Check to search both brand names and images – even quickly drawn logos – in a few clicks. Trade Mark Check automatically identifies the key features in photos or images that are uploaded into the tool.

You can also drill deeper than simple business name searches through refinement options such as selecting industry classes; You can then target the results that are most relevant to you. Other useful functions include an automatic searching of words that look or sound the same.

Trade Mark Check also provides useful guidance and tips. It explains some key concepts about trade marks in simple, clear terms to give you useful and valuable insights.

Let us know what you think

IPONZ plans to continue the development of this tool and is actively gathering feedback from users. If you have feedback on Trade Mark Check, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information on Trade Mark Check, please visit our Search for Existing Trade Marks page.