Recent Developments in the Mānuka Honey Dispute: A Sticky Situation

New Zealand's Mānuka Honey Appellation Society Incorporated (MHAS) and the Australian Mānuka Honey Association Limited (AMHA) have been in a global dispute over the 'Mānuka' term since 2016. The Mānuka honey in overseas luxury stores can fetch up to US $3,000 for a 250g jar, and the lucrative market is worth billions of dollars annually, hence the dispute's value. The claim by the New Zealand bookkeepers is that 'Mānuka' is a term from the Māori language, giving New Zealand honey producers exclusive rights to use it for honey derived from the Leptospermum scoparium plant (L. scoparium). However, the AMHA argues that honey from the same plant is produced in Australia, and 'Mānuka' has been used within Australia since the 1930s. The ongoing battle between New Zealand and Australian honey producers over the term 'Mānuka' has seen some new developments. The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand recently refused the application on several grounds, including that MANUKA HONEY is descriptive of the goods of the application and is, therefore not registrable. The New Zealand decision follows a decision in the United Kingdom where the UK application to register "MANUKA HONEY" was denied by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) after AMHA opposed the registration. It is interesting to note that there are several trade marks on the Australian trade mark database which include the term MANUKA." Hunt & Hunt lawyers have closely followed this dispute as we assist various associations and organisations with the protection of their intellectual property internationally. Please don't hesitate to contact us for further information or to discuss your specific situation.