Search, add, or change name or address

The IPONZ case management facility focuses on reducing administration across the whole IP supply chain, from application, through examination and in maintaining the IP post registration or grant. One example of this is in the maintenance of client details, which is being abstracted from the IP level to the client level. Each client record will hold information about that company, individual or other legal entity. This reduces the amount of data entry an applicant has to do on application. Interested parties can still see the address details of an IP owner against the IP on the register.

Authorised parties or the client themselves can make changes in legal name, and changes in addresses to their client record which will reflect across their whole IP portfolio.

You will need to be logged on as a registered user of the website, select Maintain Client from the My Account menu of your Inbox. The Search Client page will display.
 

1. Change of legal name

You must provide supporting documentation confirming the name change, for example, a certificate from the Registrar of Companies.

On the Search Client screen, search for your client record. If you are a New Zealand company enter your name in the Search Company field. For other client types, modify your name.

To upload your supporting documentation, select the Add button for uploading.

Select Submit to complete your request.

2. Change of address

When an address for service, business or residential address, or, a communication address has changed, a notice of change of address must be filed with the Commissioner of patents, trade marks and designs.
Note – to own a trade mark you must have an address in New Zealand.

On the Search Client screen, search for your client record and select Edit to modify. You can add, or remove addresses

Select Submit to complete your changes

At the individual IP level users can nominate which of their addresses to use for the purpose of communication on that case. Principally, as communication with the Office is electronic, that will be a system user’s details, and their associated email and address for service.

How to search for client?

You can search our database for your client details by name, client id, email address and more.

When searching for the name of the client you can also use wildcards and operators. Spaces are recognised as ORs and you can use quotation marks, brackets, OR, AND, * and ? to find your desired details.

When you have found the correct client, select them on the left then click Select in the bottom right hand corner.

How to add a new client?

Only create a new client record if one does not already exist, see how to search for client above in details.

To add a new client record, select Add on the Search Client screen. The Maintain Client screen will display.

Complete the details for your new client as follows:

1. Select appropriate type for your new client. For example, if you select New Zealand Company you will have to enter the company name. Our system will look up the New Zealand Company Register and presented the legal details including addresses. There is no need to manually capturing this information.
2. To amend an address, select Edit next to address you wish to update. Each client record should contain at least 3 types of addresses: physical address, postal address and an address for service in New Zealand.
3. To add address, select Add by the Address field. The screen will expand to allow you to input address details. If you are searching for a New Zealand Address, simply enter a few characters to the Search New Zealand Address field. The system will automatically look up the New Zealand Post, Address Verification service (PAF) for a match. If the address you want to enter is not yet included in that database or you wish to enter overseas address you can select Manual Input option for entering it manually. Check the presented address and select Save, the address will be included to the client record. Repeat the process until you have all 3 address types.
4. Select Submit to complete the process.
    

For change of ownership or agent see:

• Change owner
• Change agent

Read more information about client administration in the new case management facility.