Get legal support for taking your trade mark beyond New Zealand

It is commonly used by businesses that are already selling overseas, preparing to enter new markets, licensing their brand abroad, or manufacturing in one country and trading in another. It can also be relevant if your brand has gained traction online and you want to think ahead about key export or growth markets. Not every business needs international coverage immediately, so part of the value is working out whether overseas filing makes commercial sense now, and if so, which countries or regions should be prioritised first.

The main difficulties often come from differences between countries rather than the New Zealand filing itself. A mark that looks registrable in one place may face objections elsewhere because of local conflicts, classification issues, language concerns or distinctiveness rules. There can also be practical issues around ownership, the goods and services description, and whether your filing strategy matches your expansion plans. International protection is not a single universal right, so the legal work usually involves choosing a pathway and anticipating where objections or limitations are more likely to arise.

The service usually includes a lawyer consultation, advice on whether international filing is appropriate, discussion of target countries, preparation and review of application materials, and support with the filing route that best fits the matter, including Madrid Protocol steps where available and suitable. We can also help with standard follow-up queries that fall within the agreed scope. If the matter develops into complex objections, foreign office disputes or country-specific advice requiring local counsel, that would usually need separate scoping rather than being assumed within the fixed-fee.

Yes. A New Zealand filing is usually about one national register and one examination process. International protection involves deciding where protection is commercially worthwhile, how the goods and services should be framed across multiple markets, and whether a central filing route is appropriate. It is therefore broader than a standard domestic application service. If you only need protection in New Zealand, a local trade mark registration service may be the better fit. If your brand plans extend overseas, this service is aimed at that wider strategic and filing context.

After filing, the application is examined through the relevant international and national channels, and each designated country can raise its own issues. Some applications progress smoothly, while others receive objections, requests for clarification or provisional refusals in specific jurisdictions. We can explain what those updates mean and whether a response falls within the agreed work or needs separate support. The post-filing stage is often where strategy matters most, because one country may proceed while another requires a different approach or additional evidence.

Submit an enquiry on this page or click 'Get started'. One of our legal consultants will review it within 1 business day and get in touch to understand what you need.

Your consultant will then email you a fixed-fee quote setting out the cost, scope and timing. If you're happy with it, you can accept the quote and sign our engagement letter online.

Once you've accepted, one of our Australian-qualified lawyers will work with you to complete your project. They'll contact you by email or phone if they need anything.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the International Trade Mark service, pricing starts from $2,000.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We work online, so we can help wherever you are in New Zealand. Our team works remotely, mainly from Australia.

Your work is done by our Australian-qualified lawyers, who hold Australian practising certificates and specialise in business law. None of them are New Zealand lawyers or hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

Sprintlaw NZ Limited is a legal consultancy, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the New Zealand Law Society. We don't act in court or tribunal matters, conveyancing (including leases and business sales) or other reserved areas of work. Communications with Sprintlaw are unlikely to be protected by legal professional privilege. We still keep everything confidential under our engagement letter.