NZ backs out of Manuka honey naming rights case in UK and Europe

New Zealand’s Manuka Honey Appellation Society (MHAS) discontinued its High Court appeal in the UK at the end of 2022, which means the UK Intellectual Property Office’s previous rejection of MHAS’s application to trademark the words “Manuka honey” would stand. Weeks earlier, the New Zealand producers also withdrew their application for the ‘Manuka Honey’ certification mark in the European Union.

The Australian Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) said the withdrawal of proceedings had enormous significance for the thousands of Australians working in the honey industry.

AMHA chairman Paul Callander said: “For five years, the AMHA has been battling the New Zealand MHAS in multiple jurisdictions over their attempts to trademark the term Manuka as exclusively their own. The MHAS backdown means the UK IPO ruling of December 2021 in Australian beekeepers’ favour stands, and there is no restraint or trademark on Manuka naming rights.”

The international Manuka honey market is forecast to be worth around $1.27 billion in annual trade by 2027, and Manuka honey products can sell between AU$300–500/kg. The product is in demand for both consumption and use in medicinal and wellbeing products.

“Manuka is an Australian native plant and the term Manuka honey has long been used in Australia to describe this unique honey. Australian growers have every right to use the word to describe their produce, as upheld by the UK Courts,” Callander said.

“Clearly there has been a change of thinking by the New Zealand group, and hopefully we can spend our time and money working together to promote this wonderful medicinal honey to the world, rather than fighting over naming rights.”

The AMHA is still awaiting the outcome of a New Zealand trademark application by MHAS that was heard by the NZ IPO in 2021. The Australian producers mounted a similar defence in New Zealand to their position in the UK and EU hearings.

Image credit: iStock.com/mashuk