The IPOL designs wizard has been designed by experienced professionals to guide you through the application process. It is a fully assisted filing service that will file the application directly with the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office (IPONZ) within one business day after you complete the form.
Do not disclose your design before you have received confirmation that the application has been filed.
Scope
There are many issues to consider when filing an application for registration of a design. The IPOL wizard will alert you to the most important issues and will provide help where appropriate.
The IPOL wizard will also provide options to seek additional advice during the application process. If you choose to seek advice your application will be saved and held until the advice is provided.
One of the difficult parts of the designs process is defining the scope of protection. It is important to provide clear images of your design and determine whether you want to claim a monopoly in the pattern and/or or shape of your goods.
The IPOL wizard provides you with the option of choosing IPOL as an Address for Service. The Address for Service is a physical address that is set up to receive any legal notifications relating to the application. It is a good idea to use IPOL Limited as an address for service as it is a stable address that will always be up to date.
The IPOL wizard also allows you to file more than one application at a time as long as each application relates to the same object. If the object to which the design is being applied is not identical the applications must be filed separately.
Costs
The official IPONZ charges for an application are $100 +GST per design. IPOL’s charge for the use of the IPOL Wizard is $150 +GST per use, regardless of the number of designs within each utilisation of the Wizard.
Example
One application filed through IPOL for registration of the shape of a shoe, as per the following perspective view drawing from Crocs, Inc’s Registered Design No. 408548:
| IPONZ Charge |
$100 +GST |
| IPOL Charge |
$150 +GST |
| Total |
$250 +GST |
Example
Two applications filed simultaneously through IPOL and based on the same goods, for example one for the shape of the above Crocs® shoe upper, and one for the pattern of the circles on top of the Crocs® shoe:
| IPONZ Charge (2 applications) |
$200 +GST |
| IPOL Charge |
$150 +GST |
| Total |
$350 +GST |
Note: Filing an application for registration does not guarantee that registration will be granted (for more information see About Designs), and fees are unable to be refunded after the application has gone through to IPONZ. Therefore, if you have any concerns during the application process, please contact an IPOL Advisor for assistance.
Advice Service
IPOL also provides optional advice services if you are not sure about your application. These services can be reviewed at the checkout at the end of the Wizard process.