The Australian Made, Australian Grown logo – the famous green and gold kangaroo – is now a registered trademark in Hong Kong.
The Australian Made Campaign says the formal registration of the logo in Hong Kong builds on its registration in other key export markets, including the US, China, Singapore, Korea and India, where it is recognised as Australia’s mark of authenticity.
Australian Made CEO Ben Lazzaro says, “This means that for the first time ever Australian exporters have a registered symbol that can be used on locally made or grown exports into Hong Kong, which both establishes products as genuinely Australian and is legally protected under Hong Kong law.”
According to Austrade, Australia exported almost $11.4 billion worth of merchandise to Hong Kong during the 2017-18 financial year, making it Australia's sixth most important destination for merchandise exports.
“Almost half of all our licensees use the Australian Made logo on exported products. The formal registration of the logo in Hong Kong provides an essential legal framework which exporters can rely upon if the logo is copied or used without proper authority,” Lazzaro says.
New AU-HK treaty now in place
For Lazzaro: “Hong Kong presents a huge opportunity for Aussie makers and growers, especially with the recently signed Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement, and we’re proud to help our nation’s exporters leverage this growing market.”
Australia and Hong Kong signed the Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (A-HKFTA) and the associated Investment Agreement on 26 March 2019.
Austrade’s Hong Kong senior trade Commissioner Sam Guthrie says the logo is an important mark that gives consumers reassurance they are buying products with “clean, green, quality characteristics that trusted Australian provenance guarantees”.
The logo registration covers 10 classes:
- 3 – cleaning products, soaps, toiletries, cosmetics
- 5 – pharmaceuticals, veterinary pharmaceuticals, infant formula, baby products
- 20 – furniture
- 25 – clothing and footwear
- 29-33 – food and beverages, including alcoholic
- 35 – retail services
