The South Island Agricultural Field Days has been gazetted as an industrial exhibition under section 9 (2) of the Patents Act 2013 and section 10(2) of the Designs Act 1953.
Exhibitors may display their new inventions or designs for the first time at Field days without invalidating a future New Zealand patent or registered design application, provided that the application is filed within 6 months of the opening day of the show. This is also provided the invention or design has not been publicised or marketed in any other way, and no commercial sale or use is made of the invention before the filing of the patent or registered design application.
Some overseas jurisdictions do not recognise the gazetting of industrial exhibitions, and if overseas protection is of interest to an exhibitor, we suggest filing a patent or registered design application before displaying their invention at Field Days.