New Caledonia Trademark Information

New Caledonia, has a special status of sui generis collectivity of France. It is located in the subregion of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific. The population is estimated at 249,000 with a GDP of $8.82 billion.

Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.

Trademarks are assigned through the National Institute of Industrial Property. New Caledonia is a member of the Madrid Protocol and trademark registration and enforcement is controlled by France. A trademark is valid for 10 years and may be renewed for further periods of 10 years each.