Australian Made logo trademarked in South Korea
The Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) logo has been formally trademarked in South Korea, in what the Australian Made Campaign is calling a “branding breakthrough” for Australian exporters.
The trademark will mean that the AMAG symbol is legally protected under South Korean law. The Australian Made campaign said this will mean that Australian exporters can use the AMAG symbol on their locally made or grown exports into South Korea to establish their products as genuinely Australian.
The Australian Made Campaign said the process for registering the AMAG symbol as a trademark in South Korea commenced in 2011 in response to the growing importance of South Korea as a market for Australian products.
“The Australian made, Australian Grown logo’s formal registration in South Korea now provides an essential legal framework which exporters can rely upon in the event that the logo – or product carrying it – is copied or used without proper authority,” said Ian Harrison, Chief Executive of the Australian Made Campaign.
“It will also provide a legal framework for the Australian Made branded shops established in South Korea by Campaign Partner, SINI Australia,” Mr Harrison said.
The green and gold AMAG logo is Australia’s registered country-of-origin trademark for genuine Australian products and produce. The AMAG logo can only be used on products that are registered with the not-for-profit organisation Australian Made Campaign Limited.
The strict set of rules governing use of the logo require that it must always be used with one of five descriptors: ‘Australian Made’, ‘Australian Grown’, ‘Product of Australia’, ‘Australian Seafood’ or ‘Australian’ (for export use only). To use the logo, goods must meet the criteria set out in the Australian Consumer Law as well as the Australian Made, Australian Grown Logo Code of Practice. More than 1,800 businesses are currently registered to use the AMAG logo, which can be found on more than 10,000 products sold in Australia and globally. Australian Food News reported in June 2013 that the Australian Made Campaign had launched a website listing registered businesses, which it said was designed to help consumers find ‘genuine’ Australian products.
The registration process in South Korea was carried out by Australian Made Campaign Partner, EKM Patent and Trade Marks.
The registration covers 11 classes of goods and services (classes 3, 5, 20, 25, 29-33, 35 and 41). These cover a wide range of products, including food and beverages, cleaning products, pharmaceuticals, furniture, as well as use in activities such as education and sport.
The formal registration of the AMAG logo in South Korea follows its registration in the USA and China. Registration is also pending in Singapore.
Wasn’t this organisation set up by some South Africans in the mid 1980s to represent Australian goods off shore – nearly went into liquidation but Mr Keating rescued them with $Milliions – when I exported they did not rate overseas and during the GFC have had a feeding frenzy in Australia – I have goods with the logo which are fully imported here. How can we use the word Australia on products which are foreign owned here and if exported they are effectively selling to themselves – on the one hand they say they are a private business and on the other hand a not for profit – very confusing – what is the real story?