October 13, 2023
Māori trademark body 20 years of progress
A Māori intellectual property lawyer says it’s an uphill battle trying to get protecton for Māori rights in an international context.
Lynell Tuffery Huria says in Aotearoa, Maori and the legal profession mhave benefited from the Māori Trade Marks Advisory Committee, which was set up under the Trade Marks Act 2002, has been around for 20 years, and the Māori Patents Advisory Committee, which was part of the 2013 rewrite of the Patents Act.
Those committees advise on trade mark applications which use Māori signs, text or imagery, and assess whether new products or processes align with Māori values.
“Unfortunately New Zealand laws don’t influence what happens internationally, and internationally, they’re still not much protection for any indigenous knowledge or international indigenous cultural heritage,” Ms Huria says.