Manuka Honey Trademark Battle

B1 – Intermediate

Manuka honey is premium quality honey made from bees that only pollinate manuka or tea trees which are native in Australia and New Zealand. 

For years, the two countries have had some disputes on who owns the right to manuka honey’s trademark.

Read this lesson about the manuka honey trademark battle between Australia and New Zealand.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2305/230525-manuka-honey-trademark-2.html

Vocabulary Questions:

1. Explain the definition of the word “trademark”. “The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand decided that no one could trademark the word “manuka”.”. Use this word in a sentence.
2. What does “treasured” mean here, “They said manuka was a “treasured” NZ species.”? Give 1-2 synonym/s of ‘treasured’ and use the word in your own sentence.
3. What does “long history” mean, “Our product has a long history of being recognized as manuka honey.”? Use this idiom in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand’s decision to not let anyone trademark the word “manuka”?
2. Are there any products from your country that became controversial due to its trademark? Talk about them.
3. What are some products that your country is well-known for? Why are they world-famous?