{"id":213317,"date":"2022-01-12T18:28:12","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T05:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/?p=213317"},"modified":"2022-09-20T14:20:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-20T01:20:43","slug":"trade-mark-absolute-grounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/trademarks\/trade-mark-absolute-grounds\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Absolute Grounds and Distinctiveness Apply to Trade Marks in NZ?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/intellectual-property\/intellectual-property-types\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">business\u2019s intellectual property<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> constitutes valuable and unique ideas that bring you commercial benefit. You gain a benefit from your logo, for example, because customers recognise it and trust it in the marketplace. In particular, this recognition is a crucial part of your ability to register a trade mark. The Trade Mark Commissioner and the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) manage the registration process, and have specific grounds that relate to whether they can approve your application to register your trade mark. This article will provide some background on the matter and explain how absolute grounds and distinctiveness can affect your trade mark application.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How Do Trade Marks Work in NZ?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A trade mark is a kind of intellectual property right that protects the unique identifiers of your business. These identifiers link part of your business\u2019 brand to the goods or services you provide, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/trademarks\/considerations-when-choosing-trade-mark\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and can include<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">words;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">phrases;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">symbols;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">logos;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">images;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">colours; or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">any combination of these.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To have registered trade mark rights, you need to apply to IPONZ, which has strict criteria for approving trade mark applications. If your trade mark application does not meet these criteria, they can refuse your application and not register your trade mark.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As part of your trade mark application, you will need to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">determine the different elements of your trade mark;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">specify which classes of goods or services your trade mark applies to;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">conduct a trade mark search to ensure similar or identical trade marks do not already exist;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">prepare appropriate documentation of your trade mark;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pay appropriate fees; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">submit important information through IPONZ\u2019s online application portal.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Is a Trade Mark Registrable?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your trade mark <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/trademarks\/good-trade-mark\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is registrable if<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">your application meets the necessary legal requirements;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">you have paid the necessary application fees; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">there are no absolute or relative grounds that would prevent your trade mark registration.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Absolute Grounds<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Absolute grounds are specific criteria for your trade mark, serving as reasons for the Commissioner (as a part of IPONZ) to refuse your application. There are absolute grounds that are more general in nature and some that are more specific. Following this, in general, the Commissioner must not register your trade mark if, due to the inherent nature of your trade mark, its use:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">would be likely to deceive or cause confusion;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">goes against any New Zealand law or would not receive protection in court; or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">registration would offend a significant section of the community, including M\u0101ori.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Commissioner also cannot accept trade mark applications that the applicant has made in bad faith, such as if they are not the rightful owner of the trade mark itself.<\/span><\/p>\n    <div class=\"my-7 lg:my-10 border-y-2 border-gray-100 py-7 lg:py-10 flex flex-col sm:flex-row items-start gap-10\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"w-52 mx-auto my-0! rounded\" src=\"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/28132215\/trade-mark-essentials-NZ.jpg\" alt=\"Front page of publication\"\n                 loading=\"lazy\" width=\"208\" height=\"298\">\n                <section>\n            <div class=\"text-2xl font-bold\">Trade Mark Essentials in New Zealand<\/div>\n            <div class=\"body-text\">\n                <p>Our free Trade Mark Essentials in New Zealand guide explains how to register and defend your trade mark registration.<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n            \n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/go.legalvision.co.nz\/nz-trade-mark-guide.html\" class=\" block px-5 py-3.5 max-w-fit bg-orange button__hover transition rounded text-white font-bold text-lg no-underline uppercase leading-tight text-center\" target=\"\" rel=\"\">Download Now<\/a>        <\/section>\n    <\/div>\n\n<h3>Relative Grounds<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On top of these absolute grounds, there are relative grounds as well. These are reasons that the Commissioner may refuse a trade mark application because of trade marks that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">already exist<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. These grounds cover cases such as trade marks that:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">contain certain words;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">contain a person\u2019s name;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">are similar or identical to trade marks that already exist; or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">contain specific flags.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Note the difference between these two concepts. Absolute grounds are inherent reasons that Commissioner cannot approve your trade mark. Relative grounds are your trade mark cannot be registered when considering existing trade marks. This article focuses on the absolute ground of the inherent distinctiveness of a trade mark itself. However, a relative ground might be that your trade mark is similar to an existing one.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bear in mind that the Commissioner considers each case on its own merits, and the final decision remains up to them.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<a href=\"#content-next\"\n   class=\"block p-4 mt-10 text-xl font-bold text-center text-white no-underline bg-gray-800 rounded-t-xl\">\n    Continue reading this article below the form\n    <i class=\"text-xl fa-regular fa-arrow-down\"><\/i>\n<\/a>\n<div class=\"px-6 pt-10 pb-12 mb-10 text-center bg-gray-100 rounded-b-xl sm:px-12 test\">\n    <div class=\"mb-8 text-2xl font-bold text-orange\">\n        Need legal advice?\n        <br>\n        <span class=\"text-lg not-prose\">\n                            Call <a href=\"tel:+64800005570\" class=\"not-prose\">0800 005 570<\/a> for urgent assistance.\n                <br>\n                Otherwise, complete this form, 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In particular, if your trade mark does not qualify under their definition of distinctiveness, IPONZ cannot greenlight your application. Therefore, your trade mark must be capable of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">being represented graphically; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">distinguishing your goods and services from those of other businesses or people.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Accordingly, your trade mark must be distinctive. It cannot be too generic or ambiguous and must clearly distinguish your business\u2019 goods or services. IPONZ will assess this based on the nature of those goods or services, and the ability of your customers to recognise your trade mark as being distinctive.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For instance, registering the word \u2018eyeliner\u2019 for your eyeliner products is unlikely to be successful, because this word is not distinctive and does not uniquely refer to your goods. Many other businesses use the term \u2018eyeliner\u2019 for their makeup products. As a result, a customer could not distinguish your goods from your competitor\u2019s by reference to this term, so it is not capable of functioning as a trade mark.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Therefore, your trade marks cannot simply describe the goods or services you provide, or a general characteristic of them. Common descriptors in your industry need to be available for all traders to use when referring to their goods. So, if you attempt to register one of these terms as a trade mark, IPONZ can refuse your application.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How Do I Make Sure My Trade Mark is Distinctive?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The distinctiveness of your trade mark will depend on whether:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">it can distinguish your product from a competitor\u2019s product; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">other traders are likely to use an identical or similar trade mark in good faith when referring to their products.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Therefore, an effective trade mark search becomes crucial for this process. You should search to see whether a certain term or descriptor is widespread in the marketplace. To avoid denial on a relative ground, you should also search the marketplace to ensure nobody else is using your specific trade mark, or a similar trade mark. A trade mark specialist can help with this.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Commissioner can only register your trade mark if it is sufficiently distinctive enough to distinguish your goods or services from your competitors. They have certain criteria for assessing distinctiveness, so it is crucial that you put in the effort to ensure your trade mark is unique.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you need help with your trade mark\u2019s distinctiveness, our experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/trademark-registration-lawyers-lp\/\">trade mark lawyers<\/a> can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today on <a href=\"tel:+64800005570\" class=\"AVANSERnumber dynamic-number\">0800 005 570<\/a> or visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/membership\/\">membership page<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1641965012871\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How do I register a trade mark?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">To register a trade mark, you must apply through the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ). This process will include defining your trade mark, determining your classes of goods or services, and paying the necessary application fees.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1641965023641\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is a trade mark search?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A trade mark search is an essential part of preparing to file your application. With it, you check to see what terms are registered, what trade marks already exist in the market, and whether they are identical or confusingly similar to the trade mark you wish to register.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n<div class=\"not-prose m-feedback-prompt\">\n    <!-- Thumbs up\/down bar -->\n    <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__main\">\n        <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__title\">Was this article helpful?<\/div>\n        <div>\n            <!--span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button--text\">Thanks!<\/span-->\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__button--yes\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:yes\" aria-label=\"Agree\">\n                <i class=\"fa-regular fa-thumbs-up fa-3x\"><\/i>\n            <\/button>\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__button--no\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:no\" aria-label=\"Disagree\">\n                <i class=\"fa-regular fa-thumbs-down fa-3x\"><\/i>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Feedback form -->\n    <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form\">\n        <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--thanks \">\n            <div>Thanks!<\/div>\n            <p>\n                We appreciate your feedback \u2013 your submission has been successfully received.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <form id=\"contact-form\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--form\" action=\"\" method=\"post\">\n            <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"authenticity_token\" name=\"authenticity_token\" value=\"3bc3beddae\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213317\" \/>            <input value=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/trademarks\/trade-mark-absolute-grounds\/\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenturl\"\n                   id=\"currenturl\">\n            <input value=\"How Do Absolute Grounds and Distinctiveness Apply to Trade Marks in NZ?\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenttitle\"\n                   id=\"currenttitle\">\n            <label>\n                <!-- display on thumbs-up -->\n                <span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__feedback m-feedback-prompt__feedback--yes\">\n                    Can you tell us <span class=\"font-semibold\">why<\/span> you found it helpful?\n                <\/span>\n\n                <!-- display on thumbs-down -->\n                <span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__feedback m-feedback-prompt__feedback--no text-lg\">\n                    How can we better improve this article?\n                <\/span>\n                <textarea name=\"feedbackmessage\" id=\"feedbackmessage\" required><\/textarea>\n            <\/label>\n\n            <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--error\" id=\"form-submit-error\"><\/div>\n            <button id=\"submit-contact-form-button\" type=\"submit\" name=\"commit\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--submit\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:submit\">\n                Submit            <\/button>\n        <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your business\u2019s intellectual property constitutes valuable and unique ideas that bring you commercial benefit. You gain a benefit from your logo, for example, because customers recognise it and trust it in the marketplace. In particular, this recognition is a crucial part of your ability to register a trade mark. The Trade Mark Commissioner and the<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/trademarks\/trade-mark-absolute-grounds\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;How Do Absolute Grounds and Distinctiveness Apply to Trade Marks in NZ?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13236,"featured_media":201663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"212236,213983,216199,212837,214217,216725","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[54,317,1086,1323,1324],"class_list":["post-213317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-intellectual-property","category-trademarks","tag-medium-business","tag-iponz","tag-trade-mark-registration","tag-absolute-grounds","tag-relative-grounds"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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