Intellectual Property Law
Let's keep your shiny things safe.
Kiwis don’t like blowing their trumpets. But we’ll help you figure out if you have a trumpet, and how to keep your shiny things safe.
Every business has IP in some form, whether it’s a brand, an invention, or a recipe for boutique gin (in which case, may we offer our palates for ‘research’ purposes). We can help you protect your IP (including things you’ve written, designed or composed) and structure your business around it. And if anyone’s cheeky enough to steal your IP, we’ve got your back.
1. What’s Intellectual Property?
Intellectual property or IP is one of those buzz words that gets bandied around but isn’t always understood. Whether it’s a brand designed to make your business stand out, or a clever way of doing business that needs protecting from copycats, it comes under the umbrella of IP.
Many business owners don’t recognise that they have IP, let alone take adequate measures to protect it – thinking it will be time-consuming and expensive. But that may not be the case. Often, it’s simply about ensuring your contractual arrangements effectively protect your IP. If you need to take positive measures to protect IP through registration, we’ll help you with that too.
2. How Marks & Worth Lawyers can help.
Marks & Worth Lawyers happens to be one of New Zealand’s most experienced intellectual property firms. We’ll help you develop robust 360° protection around your intellectual property. If you're selling your social media app to Mark Z or working with tech contractors on a top-secret project, we’ll help you protect your brightest ideas and smartest solutions with advice specific to your unique needs. We’re whizzes at procurement contracts, software development and licensing, contractor agreements, and more. Not sure where to start? Talk to us about an IP Health Check.
Talk to us about:
- Leveraging your IP
- Trademark advice and protection
- Registered design protection
- Keeping things confidential
- IP licensing
- Franchising
- Resolving IP disputes
- IP Health Check
We're champions of Kiwi innovation and invention, so talk to us about protecting your great ideas today.
Get In TouchFAQ
Think of this as a Community Chest of knowledge if you will
A trade mark must be capable of being represented graphically and may comprise a brand, colour, device, heading, label, letter, name, numeral, shape, signature, smell, sound, taste, ticket, word or combination thereof.
The mark must distinguish the goods of the owner from other goods, and must be distinctive in nature.
If you are the registered owner of that trade mark, you have the right to issue infringement proceedings.
If someone is attempting to register a trade mark that is the same or similar to your trade mark, you can file an opposition to its registration, even if you are not the registered owner. Often we resolve the issue with a cleverly-crafted letter without needing to commence proceedings.
Your mark is only protected in the country in which it is registered.
If you plan to use your trade mark overseas you should consider whether to register the trade mark in that country. We can help you file trade marks internationally as well as in New Zealand.
