Exporting to India - 101

India presents a lucrative opportunity for New Zealand exporters.   The needs of its billion plus population and sustained 8% growth are fuelling insatiable demand, not just for commodities, but also in key sectors such as energy, infrastructure, transportation, education, healthcare, food and beverages and consumer goods.   New Zealand is only just beginning to discover this opportunity.   Although New Zealand exports to India have more than trebled since 2003, we are only exporting about a fifth of the value of goods to India that we are to China.   There are good reasons to believe that we can do much better.   Since the early 1990s India has progressively lowered trade barriers. Quantitative restrictions in imports have been abolished and average tariffs on non-agricultural items have fallen below 15%.   India's growing openness is signalled by its participation in multilateral trade negotiations, where it is a leader among developing nations, and in recent free...

Trade Marks

Whatever you do - do this first! Get a trademark for the brands you wish to protect in India. To be on the safe side, allow 18-24 months from start to finish.   However, these days it is not unusual to hear about a trademark being registered within 12 months from the date of application.   The improvement results from India's efforts to meet international conditions that will enable her to join the exclusive club of International Searching Authorities and International Preliminary Examining Authorities (IPEAs) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).   The basic steps for registering a trademark in India are:   1. Filing of Application 2. First Examination Report & reply to the same 3. Hearing 4. In case written submissions are not filed and the Application is put up for a hearing, the Examiner is likely to insist on written submissions to the Examination report. Hence, it is recommended to file the written submissions before...