NZ Stock Exchange hijacks Advertising Agency name

NZ Stock Exchange hijacks Advertising Agency name

Yesterday the New Zealand Stock Exchange launched its new ‘carbon trading platform’ called TZ1, which stands for TimeZoneOne.

This unusual and catchy name is already registered and in use by a New Zealand business called TimeZoneOne.

TimeZoneOne is a 22 person advertising and marketing agency based in Christchurch which has a sales and project management team in Chicago. The name TimeZoneOne was trademarked five years ago.

TimeZoneOne exports advertising and graphic design created in Christchurch New Zealand to clients in the USA. These clients include footwear giant Crocs shoes, Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance, The American Medical Association, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Herman Miller.

“We win work in the USA and bring it back to New Zealand to be produced; it is then exported back to the USA. Our business provides work for New Zealanders that would otherwise not be available,” says Richard Tattershaw, Managing Director of TimeZoneOne

“We are a smart example of how New Zealand can operate in the new digital world. Our whole business advantage is that we operate from Time Zone One; we sell ourselves as being able to work on USA business while they sleep.

“We have the TimeZoneOne name registered under class 35 advertising for business services and business management. ‘TZ1’ is regularly used as the shortened version by ourselves, our clients and our suppliers, and we own the web domain www.tz1.co.nz because we knew ‘TZ1’ is TimeZoneOne.

“The NZX have advised us that they knew of our name but chose to ignore it. They said they did not intend to use the full version of the name, but we see today on stuff.co.nz that ‘TZ1 stands for Time Zone One’.

“We have had numerous phone calls from our business contacts today asking us if we knew the New Zealand Stock Exchange was taking our brand name.”

Mr Tattershaw said he was disappointed and surprised that the New Zealand Stock Exchange would try and take the company’s name.

“After all, their mission is to help New Zealanders achieve economic wealth and well-being. Our aim has always been to have TimeZoneOne listed on the stock market. To do this, we would use the code TZ1. By having an exchange called TZ1, this will cause great confusion.

“What is odd is they could have called it anything. Naming requires imagination and creativity, the possibilities are endless. You shouldn’t just look in the phonebook”.

As far as the existing TimeZoneOne is concerned it’s not too late for the NZX to change their name to something more reflective of New Zealand’s environmental leadership.

NOTES:

We registered TimeZoneOne June 2002

TimeZoneOne’s New Zealand clients include:
- AMI Insurance
- Motor Trade Finance
- YHA
- MacPac

TimeZoneOne’s financial market clients include:
- AMI Insurance (New Zealand)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance (USA)
- Ansbachee (UK)

TimeZoneOne’s largest client – global creative agency for world’s fastest growing show brand Crocs.

ends

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