Ben Williams

Special Counsel \ AJ Park IP Limited, Wellington

Ben advises clients on trade mark protection and enforcement across New Zealand, Australia and international markets. He takes the time to understand each client's business, building trusted relationships and adopting a global perspective that ensures his advice addresses the bigger picture.

Expertise

Ben works with a range of clients to ensure protection of their brands, including securing trade mark registrations. He also assists clients with trade mark clearance searches, prosecution, opposition, revocation and invalidity proceedings.

Ben is known for his open and proactive communication, keeping clients informed of progress, managing expectations, and making himself available to discuss matters as they arise. He has an extensive knowledge of protecting trade marks in overseas jurisdictions and can provide strategic portfolio advice.

Experience

Before joining Baldwins (now AJ Park), Ben spent four years specialising in trade marks in the United Kingdom and European Union at Barker Brettell and A.A. Thornton & Co. He acted for clients in the sporting, fashion, academic and engineering sectors.

Beyond work

Ben relaxes outside of work by playing and watching sport and also enjoys travelling to new places and cities.

Services

Trade marks

Expertise

New Zealand

Qualifications

LLB (Hons), Bournemouth University
Postgraduate Certificate Intellectual Property, Bournemouth University
Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
Trade Marks Attorney (New Zealand)

Velettà \ The beauty of being in business

Wellington woman Sarah Bacon traded her career as an entertainment lawyer to pursue a lifelong passion—creating her own luxury brand of natural skincare.

The beauty of being in business

Ben Williams's news and insights

Article \ 3 Jul 2025

Stealth trade marks explained: Protecting brands while staying under the…

Trade mark protection is crucial for brand owners, offering exclusive rights to use and enforce the trade mark. However, the standard process can sometimes create commercial difficulties with public disclosure.

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Client story \ 14 Aug 2024

From farm to fashion to Olympics: Honest Wolf

At AJ Park, we take pride in transforming our clients' ideas into tangible assets that make a positive impact. Our client Honest Wolf, a shining example of Kiwi ingenuity, embodies this spirit by pioneering creative and sustainable solutions at the cross-section of farming and fashion.

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Article \ 1 Jul 2024

IPONZ rejects Indian Government's trade mark for BASMATI

IPONZ recently issued its decision declining the Indian Government’s certification application for the BASMATI word mark.

Article \ 3 Nov 2023

IPONZ issues updates to Trade Mark practice guidelines

The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) has now published its updated Trade Mark practice guidelines, which contain direction on the classification of non-fungible tokens, virtual goods, and virtual services.

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Article \ 9 Oct 2023

Trade Mark Register Searches: No Longer Just a "Nice to…

Following a recent decision of Australia's Federal Court, conducting a search of the trade mark register prior to adopting a new mark is now a necessity, not just the ideal.

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Article \ 6 Apr 2023

Korean and Japanese Trade Marks Offices now allow letters of…

The Korean and Japanese Trade Marks Offices have recently decided to amend their legislation to allow letters of consent from existing trade mark owners to add more flexibility in the registration of trade marks. This decision can potentially streamline the trade mark registration process where a trade mark application may have similarities to an existing trade mark.

Article \ 17 Nov 2022

A step forward: Indigenous IP rights in Australia

Australian trade mark legislation does not currently recognise indigenous rights. As stated by the Indigenous Expert Reference Group - The current legal framework does not and is not designed to provide First Nations people with the ability to obtain holistic recognition and protection of their indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights.

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Article \ 8 Nov 2022

Intellectual Property Offices on brand protection in the virtual world

As the virtual world continues to expand in size and popularity, more businesses are paying attention to this emerging sector. With the global virtual reality market estimated in the billions, there’s no denying that the investment to participate in the virtual world is occurring on a global scale and expected to grow.