IPONZ Joins Global Patent Prosecution Highway
On the 6th July 2017 IPONZ joined the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) pilot program.
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IP News to Peruse
Court of Appeal Clarifies Ownership and Eligibility of Foreign Copyright Owners
In 2017 NZCA 217 ESR Group v Burden the Court of Appeal overturned the trial Judge’s findings in respect of ownership, holding that while Burden was a joint author of technical drawings he was not the owner of copyright in the drawings...
Read moreReputation can Accrue even though Use Contrary to Law
In Auckland Agricultural Pastoral and Industrial Shows Board v Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand an Assistant Commissioner held that an opponent can establish awareness of the marks it relies on under s 17(1)(a) of the Act even when use of those marks may have been a technical breach of other legislation...
Read moreCourt of Appeal Upholds Finding that Devices are Dissimilar on Balance
Even re-orienting the alleged infringing mark deemed insufficient to lead to deception or confusion...
Read moreDescriptiveness of Foreign Words Clarified
Recent Assistant Commissioner’s decision A Menarini Industrie Farmeutiche Riunite SRL clarified the assessment of descriptiveness in relation to foreign words...
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