Meet the team

Intellectual Property

Hudson Gavin Martin

Auckland 1010, New Zealand
09 220 5600
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Deals

Advised New Zealand’s biggest grocery distributor and one of the country’s largest organisations on its agreement for the implementation and use of machine learning technology at its stores.

Acted for one of NZ’s main telecommunications companies on its re-branding exercise (brand clearance and overall strategy for protecting its new brand identity, including trade mark filings).

Advised the Australasian subsidiary of an All Terrain Vehicle manufacturer on branding and “ambassador” agreements (including commercial arrangements for vehicle sales in New Zealand, which protect the integrity of its brand).

Acted for one of New Zealand’s leading Cloud Based software businesses on a Domain Name Registry dispute, relating to the domain xerosign.com unfairly leveraging Xero’s strong international rights and reputation.

Advised an FMCG business on all aspects (including IP protection) on the launch of new product ranges and brands both in New Zealand and new markets. We conduct clearance searches and create a strategy to allow launch and to secure the brand in new territories.

Assisted various technology owners on major and complex restructures of their businesses to enhance IP protection, provide administrative efficiencies and better exit and investment flexibility.

Led the external legal and intellectual property efforts for a utility suppliers high profile and bold re-brand of its subsidiary business and are currently prosecuting the applications and defending several oppositions brought by other large New Zealand TMT / utilities providers regarding that re-brand.

Enforcement of confidentiality provisions in contractual arrangements with employees and contractors (various confidential clients). We defended a Canterbury manufacturer in a significant claim by an international business alleging misuse of confidential information.

Assisted a global game development studio (which recently ranked at the top of Deloitte’s Fast 50 Index) with the licensing of its trade marks and artwork for merchandise, cease and desist letters to protect its intellectual property and the preparation of agreements and disclaimers for the filming of its game tournaments.

Assisted an innovative start up with the establishment of relevant corporate entities and appropriate inter-company licenses so that it could commence making its testing solution available.

Organigram

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Team Services

Our expertise

With six partners, three special counsel, and six senior associates, our team combines scale with accessibility. Clients can count on senior input that is hands-on and readily available.

Intellectual property at the core

We understand the power of brands in a competitive market. Trade marks, brand protection, and commercialisation are central to what we do. Our team’s cross-jurisdictional, in-house, and private practice experience means we bring a “one-stop insider’s” approach to managing and protecting IP.

More than registration

Our services extend far beyond filing applications. We provide tailored, practical advice that protects IP assets, structures businesses for growth, mitigates risk, and unlocks commercial value. We prioritise clear, strategic direction—never fence-sitting.

Industry engagement

Our senior lawyers actively contribute to industry bodies across technology, film, television, communications, and the internet, ensuring our insights are grounded in real-world industry knowledge.

Commercial outcomes first

When disputes arise, we are robust advocates but always align with our clients’ commercial objectives using litigation and dispute resolution as tools, not endpoints.

Full lifecycle support

From setting up entities and securing funding to registering trade marks, negotiating commercialisation agreements, structuring employee share schemes, protecting assets, enforcing rights, and guiding sales or exits; we cover the full journey. Few firms in New Zealand can match our scale, depth, and sector insight in technology, media, and IP.

Testimonials

Chambers and Partners

No matter what our requirement is they always have the appropriate expert for us to work with. Response times are excellent, and they are very proactive with their recommendations.

Chambers and Partners

Hudson Gavin Martin’s tech expertise is unsurpassed. They are excellent at handling complex and sophisticated matters with insight, thoroughness and with timely responses.

Chambers and Partners

Excellent value for money, practical advice and ability to go the extra mile.

Chambers and Partners

They’re focused on meeting client needs and are easy to work with.

Chambers and Partners

The team are individually diverse in their experiences and skill sets, which complements and strengthens the entire HGM team.

Chambers and Partners

One of the best firms for IP and trade mark advice.

Awards and Recognition

Lawyer Network Annual Awards

Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year 2025

IP Stars

Notable Firm 2025 for Trade Mark Disputes and Trade Mark Prosecutions NZ

Chambers and Partners

IP Tier 1

Whitepapers and Articles

A recipe for disaster – Is caramel a copyright work?

In the online era, a modern recipe can easily be mistaken for a memoir. Despite the rise of short-form cooking content, online recipes are commonly prefaced with the author’s life story, a summary of their childhood struggles, and a discussion of the recipe’s genesis. Read More.

The shape of coffee – “Moccona” vs “Vittoria”

In a case heard by Justice Wheelahan of the Australian Federal Court recently, Dutch coffee giant Koninklijke Douwe Egberts BV (KDE), the owner of the MOCCONA brand, brought allegations of trade mark infringement, breaches of the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)), and passing off against Australian company Cantarella Bros Pty Ltd (Cantarella), which sells coffee under the VITTORIA brand. Cantarella cross-claimed for the removal of the KDE shape mark from the register on several grounds including distinctiveness and that KDE had no intention to use the mark. Read More.

New Zealand’s Copyright Act gets a sense of humour

The Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill (the Bill) was recently drawn from Parliament’s members’ ballot. The Bill introduces exceptions to the Copyright Act 1994 for parody and satirical works. Read More.

WIPO’s traditional knowledge treaty is adopted

The United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) has adopted its first treaty to recognise the intellectual property of indigenous peoples and local communities: the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (the Treaty). Read More.

Geographical indications – Changes uncorked by the EU-NZ Fair Trade Agreement

The EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement (EU-NZ FTA) was signed mid-last year and came into effect on 1 May 2024. It aims to promote trading relations between New Zealand and the EU, ultimately aiming to increase New Zealand exports by up to $1.8 billion per year by 2035. Read More.

Deepfakes and style mimicking – Should New Zealand adopt a right of publicity?

Canadian visual artist Sam Yang creates distinctive anime-style, almost photo-realistic, artworks. He has millions of followers on socials and sells (and displays) his works online. In 2022, he discovered that a generative AI algorithm had been trained on hundreds of his works and was now capable of producing works “in the style of” Sam Yang. Read More.

The copyright conundrum with generative AI

In 1884, a photograph of Oscar Wilde caused a stir in copyright law when a defendant (who had copied it without permission) argued that photographs should not attract copyright protection, because they have no human author. The photographer does not create the resulting image, it was argued: the camera does. All the photographer does is press the button. Read More.