What is the Madrid protocol?
The Madrid Protocol provides a Trademark owner with the opportunity to protect his mark in several member countries by filing one application with a single office, in one language with one currency. Filing under Madrid has the same effect as filing an application for registration of the mark in each individual country designated by the applicant. There are 57 member countries. The Madrid Protocol Implementation Act was enacted on November 2, 2002 and became effective on November 2, 2003.
The Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol) is an international treaty that allows a trademark owner to seek registration in any of the countries that have joined the Madrid Protocol by filing a single application, called an “international application.” The International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland administers the international registration system. The resulting international registration serves as a means for seeking protection in member countries, each of which apply their own rules and laws to determine whether or not the mark may be protected in their jurisdiction. Neither the Madrid Protocol nor the Madrid Agreement provide for registration of an internationally effective trademark.
