Latest News & Articles
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26 April 2024
With the enactment of the Trade Marks Act 2002, the Māori Trade Marks Advisory Committee was established to address Māori concerns relating to the registration of trade marks that contain a Māori sign. This article discusses the new practice guidelines that can be used to ensure appropriate use on your end.
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15 March 2024
The New Zealand Court of Appeal has had the opportunity to consider the novel issue of whether copyright is relationship property in terms of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (PRA) following the breakdown of a relationship and found that it is.
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12 March 2024
The beginning of 2024 has showcased what we forecast for the rest of the year, with a number of awards recognising Henry Hughes and notable individuals for their work
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7 March 2024
Infringement of a patent is primarily governed by Part 4, subpart 1 of the Patents Act 2013, i.e. section 140-158. What follows in this article is a gallop through these provisions of the Act with a few detours into areas of interest.
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7 December 2023
We are pleased to announce that David Moore has been appointed as co-chair of the Asia-Pacific Sub Committee of the International Trademark Association's INTA Bulletins Committee. His two year term will begin on 1 January 2024.
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7 December 2023
As the end of the year approaches, we’d like to acknowledge the successes that 2023 has brought for Henry Hughes IP, which would not have been possible without our clients. We would also like to note our client’s successes this year, whether that be awards of their own or new business developments.
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7 December 2023
In this article, intellectual property assistant Gracie Scragg discusses what business owners should be aware of when using generative AI in relation to their intellectual property rights.
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1 December 2023
As 2023 draws to a close, we thank you, our clients, and wish you a festive holiday period and a happy New Year. It has been our privilege to work with you and we look forward to working with you in 2024. We also look forward to seeing many of you in person over the coming year.
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20 November 2023
Last week (13th -17th November), we celebrated the annual Living Wage Week, which acknowledges accredited businesses for their commitment to paying staff at least the living wage. We thank our clients for affording us the ability to support our staff through the Living Wage Accreditation.
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24 October 2023
To be eligible for registration in New Zealand, a trade mark must be distinctive and not descriptive of the goods and services for which registration is sought. However, the Trade Marks Act 2002 provides an important exception to the prohibition on registration of trade marks which are not inherently distinctive. Section 18(2) provides that Commissioner must not refuse to register a trade mark if, before the date of application for registration, the trade mark has acquired a distinctive character. The section further provides that the distinctive character may be acquired either through the use of the trade mark, or as a result “of any other circumstances”.