Kiwi businesses protecting their brands offshore

More than 200 New Zealand businesses have taken advantage of the Madrid Protocol in the 12-months since New Zealand signed up to the international trade-mark treaty announced Commerce Minister Craig Foss today.

New Zealand signed up to the Protocol in December 2013. The online system enables entrepreneurs to file an international trade mark application through the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) and automatically have their application recognised and processed for other jurisdictions,” says Mr Foss.

“This makes it an efficient, reliable and cost-effective way for kiwi businesses to protect their brands overseas.

“The Protocol makes it easier for Kiwi business to export their goods and services to new markets and at the same time greatly reduces administrative costs,” says Mr Foss.

87 countries have now signed on to the Madrid Protocol, including Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the European Union and the USA.

“We are world-leaders in the area of online trade mark registrations. We are generating considerable savings both in time and cost for our SMEs and large exporters alike.

For example, Les Mills International has used the Madrid Protocol system to protect its trademark and export its exercise technology to more than twenty countries in the last year.

For more information on the Madrid Protocol and the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand, visit www.iponz.govt.nz/cms/trade-marks/International-trade-marks