At Step 5 of the Trade Mark Wizard there is an option to ask for a basic search of the IPONZ Register to check that there are no earlier marks that would prevent registration of your mark.

The limitation of only doing a basic search is that this will not include information about unregistered trade marks, in which traders may have established rights and reputation.

A full clearance search includes:

• a thorough review of your goods and/or services of interest;
• a search of the IPONZ Register;
• a search for any unregistered trade mark use as demonstrated in online databases (such as the Companies Office and Domain Name Registrar’s Office), directories and search engines; and
• a full report with recommendations based on our search results on how to proceed.

The cost of a full clearance search is NZ$600 plus GST.

Please [click here]  if you require if you would like us to undertake a full clearance search.