NZBN a game changer for IPONZ
Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ)
NZBN has been a game changer for IPONZ.
IPONZ needed to be able to identify the businesses they interact with, easily and efficiently, and ensure the businesses’ information on their database was up to date.
As many Kiwi businesses and other government agencies have found, connecting to the NZBN register provided the solution for IPONZ.
Who is IPONZ?
IPONZ is responsible for granting and registering intellectual property rights in New Zealand.
This includes:
- trade marks
- patents
- designs
- plant variety rights
- geographical indications.
Using NZBN data to streamline IPONZ processes
IPONZ was an earlier adopter of NZBN services which have significantly streamlined the way in which they keep updated with their customers’ information.
Capturing more data from the NZBN register like trading name and industry codes helps IPONZ process trade mark (and other services) applications faster while causing fewer headaches.
Rob Garrett, Business Systems Manager at IPONZ, says from 2017 IPONZ started using NZBN to create customer records with basic information.
“In 2022 we decided to extend the scope of the information we gather, capturing more data, in particular trading names, industry descriptions, status and Māori Business Identifier.
“The NZBN application programming interface (API) has made a big difference to the way we gather information. Integration with the API has significantly shortened the time needed to update the core business information we need to check when considering an intellectual property application or request,” Rob says.
“In particular, the NZBN watchlist function has made keeping up to date with customer information more efficient for us, and more efficient for our customers.
“We need to know when our customers’ data changes. Using NZBN watchlists, our systems are automatically updated to reflect the most up to date information.”
How NZBN watchlists work
Business and government agencies can set up watchlists for businesses they have an interest in, like suppliers or key customers. Once a business is on your watchlist, NZBN sends alerts if any details for that business change, giving you the most up-to-date information.
So, if an entity updates its trading name on the NZBN Register and that entity exists in IPONZ’s system, IPONZ will automatically receive an alert as soon as the update is made and can reflect those updates in their system.
The benefits to IPONZ
- Saves time for their customers as they don’t need to let IPONZ know every time their details change.
- Ensures the latest information is always available and used.
- Trading name, industry code and business type information on NZBN helps IPONZ understand who the businesses are, how they identify themselves and also provides an understand of the nature of a business, for example, how that relates to the scope of a trade mark.
- The more information IPONZ has about a business or application — along with the use of modern technology — makes the whole application process easier and less stressful.
“We are encouraging more of our customers to ensure their NZBN information is complete and up to date,” Rob says.
“IPONZ is continuously adding to the number of customers it has on NZBN. At the beginning of 2023 there were 36,000 active NZBN records in the IPONZ database with the team adding or updating about 500 each month.
“Now all new customer records will be automatically set up to trigger watchlist alerts, while IPONZ is working to roll out existing customer records.”
Want to know more about watchlists?
Learn more about adding businesses you work with to a watchlist