COVID-19 – Adapting to change in a time of crisis

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

COVID-19 – Adapting to change in a time of crisis

Sponsored by

aj-park.png
COVID-19 prevention concept: Human hands holding earth globe with medical disposable face mask. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

COVID-19 has changed the way we live, communicate and do business. In this time of drastic change and upheaval, innovative entrepreneurs and businesses across the world have used this opportunity to redefine ordinary business practices and bring new products and services to the market. New Zealand is no exception.

COVID-19 trademark filings

As new business opportunities have presented themselves, several new trademarks have entered the market. New Zealand has seen a spike in COVID-19 related trademark applications, especially from local applicants.

Unsurprisingly, some have taken advantage of the crisis by filing trademark applications for "COVID-19" or "Coronavirus". In New Zealand, several such applications have been filed, including:

  • "I survived COVID-19" covering clothing in Class 25 and advertising in Class 35

  • "COVID-19 2020" covering clothing in Class 25 and retail services in Class 35

  • "NEW ZEALAND 100 percent COVID free" covering clothes in Class 25 and advertising in Class 35

  • "Anti-Covid19" covering sanitisers; antibacterial sprays; antibacterial pharmaceuticals in Class 5

These applications are still under examination, and are likely to encounter objections from the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) on the basis the trademarks are descriptive, non-distinctive or are contrary to public policy.

Several domain names incorporating the word COVID have also been registered, including covid.nz, covid.co.nz, covid.geek.nz and covid.org.nz. There are, as of yet, no operational websites attached to these domain names.

New opportunities in a time of global upheaval

COVID-19 has caused a sharp rise in the demand for a broad range of consumer goods, including cleaning products, canned food, baking ingredients, personal protective gear and disinfectants. As quarantine measures have severely disrupted supply chains, there is also a new demand for different foodstuffs and locally produced products.

Benefitting from the campaign to "buy local", New Zealand businesses have ramped up the production and development of food, personal protective gear, digital services and other quarantine-related commodities. Since December 2019, more than 2,000 New Zealand trademarks have been filed for food, more than 300 for anti-bacterial products, and more than 600 for masks.

The New Zealand government has supported this effort, providing local businesses with a $50 billion COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund. An additional $12 billion has been invested in significant infrastructure projects under the New Zealand Upgrade Programme.

In many places, however, the situation remains serious, both for businesses and individuals. In this time of fear and isolation, remaining hopeful about the future can be difficult.

Nevertheless, many New Zealand businesses have reopened their doors, and some have embraced the opportunity to innovate and to adapt in this time of crisis. All in all, it looks like New Zealand is back in business.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Deborah Kirk discusses why IP and technology have become central pillars in transactions and explains why clients need practically minded lawyers
IP STARS, Managing IP’s accreditation title, reveals its latest rankings for patent work, including which firms are moving up
Leaders at US law firms explain what attorneys can learn from AI cases involving Meta and Anthropic, and why the outcomes could guide litigation strategies
Attorneys reveal the trademark and copyright trends they’ve noticed within the first half of 2025
Senior leaders at TE Connectivity and Clarivate explain how they see the future of innovation
A new action filed by Nokia against Asus and a landmark ruling on counterfeits by South Africa’s Supreme Court were also among the top talking points
Counsel explain how they’re navigating patent prosecution matters and highlight key takeaways from Federal Circuit cases
A partner who joined Fenwick alongside two others explains what drew her to the firm and her hopes for growth in Boston
The England and Wales High Court has granted Kirkland & Ellis client Samsung interim declaratory relief in its ongoing FRAND dispute with ZTE
A UDRP decision that found in favour of a small business in a domain name dispute could encourage more businesses to take a stand in ‘David v Goliath’ cases
Gift this article