Resources for Intellectual Property Offices of Future Madrid System Members

Find out all about the preparatory work required to become a Member of WIPO’s international trademark system – the Madrid System – and access tools developed specifically to help you through the accession process.

The Madrid System facilitates access to export markets for your national (or regional) business community. And it opens your local economy to increased foreign investment through overseas trademark owners looking to expand into new territories.

Who can join?

Any country that is party to the Paris Convention; and
Any intergovernmental organization with:
- at least one Member that is party to the Paris Convention; and
- a regional Office for registering marks with effect in the territory of the Organization…

…can accede to the Madrid Protocol – the governing Treaty of the Madrid System.

Tip! To ensure that the procedural mechanism of the Madrid System can accommodate your local legal requirements – and vice-versa – your IP Office can make specific declarations regarding fees, licenses, refusals and more.

The three main steps to joining the Madrid System…

Step 1: Preparatory work

We work with you to discuss Madrid System procedures and their inter-operability with your own domestic procedures.

Examining your legislation and providing draft provisions to ensure compatibility with the Madrid Protocol.
Drafting relevant declarations.
Ensuring new work processes are in place for handling Madrid System matters.
Training staff and testing electronic communications.
And more.

Step 2: Accession

The instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol – signed by the Head of State, Head of Government or Minister of Foreign Affairs – is deposited with WIPO’s Director General. Any relevant declarations should be included.

Step 3: Entry into force

The Madrid Protocol enters into force in your jurisdiction three months after the Director General of WIPO receives the instrument of accession.

And then…?

Trademark holders in your jurisdiction can seek cross-border protection of their mark(s) in any Madrid System Member [PDF].
Holders of international trademark registrations can seek protection of their marks – or expand the geographical scope of protection of their existing registrations – to include your country/region.

Resources to help you

Guide to preparing for accession
Accession Kit [PDF]
Sample road map for accession to the Madrid Protocol [PDF]
Standard model provisions for implementation of the Madrid Protocol [PDF]

Tools

Member profiles

We provide our customers with detailed information about the trademarks laws and procedures of the IP Offices of Madrid System Members, helping them to understand local requirements and adjust their trademark protection strategies accordingly. It’s important that Offices ensure that their information is as up-to-date and comprehensive as possible.

You complete our Madrid System Member Profiles questionnaire [DOC] and send it to us through Contact Madrid. We add it to the Member Profiles.

Madrid Monitor

Madrid Monitor provides access to detailed information on all active and inactive trademarks registered across borders through the Madrid System.

Real time statistics

You can use our Madrid System statistics to create reports, monitor the status and volume of pending international trademark applications and subsequent designations currently being processed by WIPO, and more.