Authority sees rise in businesses promoting trademark, brands

THE Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) has noted an increase in local businesses promoting their trademarks and branding in the country.
Amelia Na’aru, registrar for the intellectual property office PNG, said during the World Intellectual Property day celebrations in Port Moresby last Friday it was
good to see local businesses registering their trademarks and brands.
Na’aru listed Telikom PNG, bmobile and EMTV as some of the local businesses.
“If you want to have an intellectual property right, you need to be able to develop the idea and you need to be able to create it and protect it,” she said.
“So what we see in Papua New Guinea is a small increase in trademarks and branding.
“We see a lot of local businesses interested in promoting their trademarks and brands.”
Popular brands include Ramu Sugar, No.1 Tea, Goroka Coffee, Dolly Tuna, Frabelle, Paradise Foods, Bank South Pacific and Coca-Cola.
Na’aru said Papua New Guineans needed to be aware that they should register not only their businesses but also their trademark and brands.
“A brand is what markets you out there.”
According to the IPA, a trade mark is a word, words, symbol or symbols which indicates a connection in the course of trade and particular goods and services provided.
The main purpose of registering a trademark is to provide the owner of the legal title, and having exclusive use of it for goods and services.