These regulations, which come into force on 13 February 2020, amend the Trade Marks Regulations 2003 (the principal regulations) by altering fees payable to the Commissioner of Trade Marks.

Fees for requests for preliminary advice as to whether a trade mark has a distinctive character, or for search advice as to whether an identical or a similar mark is already on the trade marks register, are altered as follows:

• requests for preliminary advice without search advice: increase from $40 to $50 per class of goods or services:

• requests for search advice without preliminary advice: increase from $40 to $50 per class:

• requests for combined preliminary advice and search advice: decrease from $80 to $50 per class.

Fees for applications to register trade marks or renew trade mark registrations are decreased as follows:

• applications to register a trade mark, if relevant preliminary advice and relevant search advice were both provided and the application is not for the addition of a class of goods or services to an existing application: decrease from $150 to $50 per class:

• other applications to register a trade mark or series of trade marks, if the specification of goods or services consists only of 1 or more descriptions that have been approved by the Commissioner and the application is not for the addition of a class to an existing application: decrease from $150 to $70 per class:

• all other applications to register a trade mark or series of trade marks, including applications to add a class to an existing application: decrease from $150 to $100 per class:

• applications to renew trade mark registrations: decrease from $350 to $200 per class.