NZ Trade Mark Specialists · Since the 1970s

Protect your brand in every market that matters.

We file, prosecute and defend New Zealand trade marks for attorneys and brand owners around the world, and report back promptly and accurately.

Send us an instruction → How we work

Trusted by global brands — and the attorneys who represent them

+ many others
For overseas attorneys & counsel

Your New Zealand associate.

IP firms around the world use us as their New Zealand address for service, many of them for decades. We handle the local detail so you can give your clients a straight answer.

  • ✓ Address for service & full prosecution before IPONZ
  • ✓ Oppositions, revocations & dispute resolution in NZ
  • ✓ Clear, prompt reporting and competitive associate rates
  • ✓ A long-serving team, so you deal with the same people
Send us an instruction →
// Typical inbound instructions
US→NZClass 9 software mark · filingfiled
EU→NZDevice mark · compliance responsein progress
GB→NZOpposition · acting for applicantactive
AU→NZPortfolio renewal · 6 marksrenewed

Illustrative examples

For New Zealand businesses

Going global? We'll take your mark to the world.

If you're scaling a Kiwi brand offshore, you need protection in place before you land — not after. We register and defend your trade mark in nearly every country on earth, managed from here in New Zealand.

  • ✓ File 130+ territories through the Madrid System, or directly
  • ✓ Strategic advice on which markets to secure first
  • ✓ One NZ contact managing a trusted global associate network
  • ✓ Clearance checks before you commit to a name
Plan your international filing →
// One filing, many markets
NZ ⌂AUUSEUGBCNJPCASGKRINAE+120

From your New Zealand base mark, the Madrid System lets you extend protection to most of the world's markets through a single application. We handle the strategy and the paperwork.

What we do

From first search to renewal.

We start by understanding your brand, then recommend the services below that fit.

— In New Zealand
Search

Background search

A thorough, AI-assisted search to catch conflicts before you file. It's the first step to a clean registration.

Create

Name & brand generation

Launching or rebranding? We help you find a distinctive name that's easy to protect.

Register

Registration

We prepare the application, choose the right classes, file with IPONZ and keep you posted at every step.

Renew

Renewals

We track your renewal dates and remind you well ahead of time, including for marks originally filed elsewhere, so your protection never lapses.

Defend

Oppositions & disputes

From oppositions to coexistence agreements, we act for you and work to resolve disputes quickly.

Customs

Border protection

Register your mark with NZ Customs to intercept counterfeit goods before they reach the market.

— Around the world
Global

International registration

File through the Madrid System or directly in individual countries — we advise on the right route for your markets.

Inbound

NZ filing for overseas clients

We act as your NZ agent and address for service, liaising with IPONZ on behalf of international clients and associates.

Resolve

International disputes

A dispute abroad needs local representation. We brief the right associate in that country and manage the matter from here.

How it works

Four steps to a registered mark.

We explain each step before we take it.

Search

Checks across NZ and international registers to see if your mark is clear.

Strategy

We agree the right classes, specification and filing route for the markets you care about.

File

We lodge with IPONZ and internationally, managing every response and compliance report.

Protect

Once registered, we keep your mark current and handle renewals when they fall due.

20–50×What it costs to defend an unregistered mark vs. register one

We're not the cheapest, and we don't try to be. We aim for the best practical outcome at a fair price. Fixing a trade mark problem later costs far more than getting it right at the start.

Request a quote →
What it costs

Quoted in writing,
before we start.

Every brand is different, so your cost depends on a few clear factors. We walk you through all of them and give you a written quote before any work begins.

  • 01
    The countries and jurisdictions you register in
  • 02
    How many classes your goods and services fall under
  • 03
    Word mark, logo (device) mark, or both
  • 04
    The complexity of your specification
  • 05
    Any oppositions or compliance issues that arise
In their words

From New York counsel to Kiwi founders.

"
NZMarks has always been reliable and professional handling our filings in New Zealand. Thank you for many years of prompt and excellent service.
Joseph E. Sutton, Esq.
Sutton IP Associates · New York
"
They made multi-jurisdiction registration easy and gave us confidence. The whole process was efficient and painless — it was clear they knew their stuff.
James Sampson
Founder & CEO · FileInvite
"
It's definitely worth getting NZMarks' advice early on. They did a fantastic job of representing us. Thanks NZMarks.
Nick Andreef
Founder & CEO · Waitomo Adventures
FAQ

Common questions.

A trade mark is what sets your goods or services apart from everyone else's and marks them as yours. It can be far more than a logo: a word, name, phrase, shape, colour, sound, or any combination of these. Registering it gives you the exclusive right to use it for the goods and services you've claimed, and a firm legal basis to stop others trading off your reputation.
You can lodge an application yourself, but we'd gently caution against it. Registration is a legal process, and it's easy to file a mark that looks fine yet leaves you exposed through the wrong classes, a weak specification, or a conflict you didn't spot until it's expensive to fix. A specialist gives you protection that holds up when you need to rely on it.
A registered company name or domain doesn't give you ownership of the brand. Someone else could register a trade mark that's the same as, or similar to, your name. A registered trade mark is what secures it, and it can be your most valuable business asset.
Goods and services are grouped into 45 international classes under the Nice Classification, and you register your mark only for the classes you trade in, or intend to. Too few leaves gaps a competitor can exploit; too many and you pay for cover you don't need. We map your current and planned business to the right classes so the protection fits.
Marks that are likely to deceive or confuse, that merely describe what you sell, or that others should be free to use can be refused. So can marks that clash with an earlier registration, protected names and emblems such as flags and official insignia, and marks likely to offend, including to Māori. We check these grounds up front so you don't invest in something that can't be protected.
A registered trade mark lasts ten years and can be renewed every ten years indefinitely, so it can protect your brand for as long as you use it. We track the renewal dates for you. Note that a mark can be removed if it isn't genuinely used, so registration and real use go hand in hand.
It depends on the countries, the number of classes, whether you need a word and/or device mark, the complexity of your specification, and any oppositions. We always quote up front. Defending an unregistered mark typically costs 20–50× the price of registering one.
Nearly every country in the world, either directly through local associates or via the Madrid System, which lets you extend a New Zealand base mark to 130+ territories through a single application certified by IPONZ and forwarded by WIPO. We file regularly into Australia, the United States, Canada, the UK, the EU and beyond, and we'll advise on the best route.
Yes. It's a core part of what we do. We act as address for service in New Zealand, handle full prosecution before IPONZ, respond to compliance reports, and run oppositions and disputes.
Once your application is accepted it's published, and for a set period anyone can oppose it; a registered mark can also be challenged for removal, for example because it hasn't been used or is likely to confuse. Either way we act for you: preparing the response, handling the paperwork, and working to resolve it, usually by negotiation rather than a hearing.
We see it as our job to keep you out of court. Most disputes are better settled through negotiation or a coexistence agreement, and that's where we start. Where a matter genuinely needs formal proceedings, we handle hearings before IPONZ and can connect you with New Zealand's leading IP litigators when specialist court representation is required.
Get in touch

Don't get blindsided.
Get expert advice first.

Whether you're instructing us from abroad or protecting a Kiwi brand for the world, start with an obligation-free conversation.

Call 0800 87 88 89 Email info@nzmarks.com Post NZ PO Box 45282, Te Atatu, Auckland 0651, New Zealand Post AU NZMarks Ltd ID13079, PO Box 16, Nobby Beach, QLD 4218, Australia

Free 30-minute initial consultation · Written quote before any work begins

✓

Thanks — we'll be in touch.

One of our trade mark specialists will reply within one business day.