From 11th December 1941 trade mark applications in New Zealand have been classified according to the Nice Classification system. Marks applied for prior to that were classified according to what is referred to as the 3rd schedule. Recently the voluntary and mandatory conversion of ‘live’ 3rd schedule trade mark registrations to Nice classifications was completed. Subsequently, with all ‘live’ marks classified according to a Nice classification, on 16th July 2013 New Zealand deposited its Instrument of Accession to the Nice Agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization. By acceding to the Nice Agreement, New Zealand now has the opportunity to contribute to the further development of the Nice classification system to ensure that it best meets the needs of New Zealand businesses. The Nice Agreement will come into force in New Zealand on 16 October 2013.
