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region notes

Cautionary Notice Countries

A number of countries have not adopted set governmental procedures for intellectual property rights, particularly with regard to trademark registration. In those countries, advertisement in the major daily publication provides applicants with necessary rights. The Cautionary Notice countries in the region:

American Samoa
Cook Islands
French Polynesia
Guam
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
New Caledonia
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Wallis & Futuna

Former British Colonies

Former British colonies are frequently classified together because they share intellectual propery protection procedures. Many also share requirements for the extension of U.K. IP rights. Former British colonies in the region:

Kiribati
Tuvalu (Ellice Islands)
Vanuatu (New Hebrides)
Western Samoa
map of Pacific

Most of the island nations in the South Pacific are former colonies, which is often reflected in their legal systems. Australian intellectual property standards often impact intellectual property protection in some of these countries.

Intellectual property owners may wish to consider registering their rights in these countries for two reasons. First, several of these nations have marketed their country-level domain names as internationally attractive; for example, Tuvalu markets its country code (.tv) as the website of choice for television studios.

Second, these nations may serve as conduits for counterfeit goods, although the counterfeit goods may not be produced there. Protection against piracy in these countries can often cut off counterfeiting before it begins.