This page is about the protection of new plant varieties and our review of the Plant Variety Rights Act 1987.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is asking for feedback on changes to New Zealand’s registered geographical indications regime.

Today IP Australia and MBIE opened a joint review of the Trans-Tasman patent attorney registration regime.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment sought feedback on a discussion document exploring a small number of outstanding policy issues in the Plant Variety Rights Act 1987. These included Treaty of Waitangi compliance issues and operational issues relating to the Plant Variety Rights Office.

We consulted on possible options to introduce a disclosure of origin requirement in the patents regime.

In New Zealand, the layout design of semi-conductors and integrated circuits is protected by the Layout Designs Act 1994.

The Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act 2011 sets out a process for dealing with copyright infringements that occur via peer-to-peer file sharing networks.

Intellectual property refers to new or original innovations and creations of the mind. This section also covers copyright, trade marks, patents and other forms of intellectual property protection.

Facilitating kaitiakitanga over taonga works and mātauranga Māori is proposed for future work in kete 1 of the whole-of-government approach to issues raised in Wai 262. This includes asking whether there should be a new legal framework to protect taonga works and mātauranga Māori and, if so, what that should look like.

Copyright refers to the exclusive rights given to owners of original works such as literature, artistic works, communication works (eg, broadcasts) films and sound recordings.