About Intellectual Property IP Training IP Outreach IP for… IP and... IP in... Patent & Technology Information Trademark Information Industrial Design Information Geographical Indication Information Plant Variety Information (UPOV) IP Laws, Treaties & Judgements IP Resources IP Reports Patent Protection Trademark Protection Industrial Design Protection Geographical Indication Protection Plant Variety Protection (UPOV) IP Dispute Resolution IP Office Business Solutions Paying for IP Services Negotiation & Decision-Making Development Cooperation Innovation Support Public-Private Partnerships The Organization Working with WIPO Accountability Patents Trademarks Industrial Designs Geographical Indications Copyright Trade Secrets WIPO Academy Workshops & Seminars World IP Day WIPO Magazine Raising Awareness Case Studies & Success Stories IP News WIPO Awards Business Universities Indigenous Peoples Judiciaries Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Economics Gender Equality Global Health Climate Change Competition Policy Sustainable Development Goals Enforcement Frontier Technologies Mobile Applications Sports Tourism PATENTSCOPE Patent Analytics International Patent Classification ARDI – Research for Innovation ASPI – Specialized Patent Information Global Brand Database Madrid Monitor Article 6ter Express Database Nice Classification Vienna Classification Global Design Database International Designs Bulletin Hague Express Database Locarno Classification Lisbon Express Database Global Brand Database for GIs PLUTO Plant Variety Database GENIE Database WIPO-Administered Treaties WIPO Lex - IP Laws, Treaties & Judgments WIPO Standards IP Statistics WIPO Pearl (Terminology) WIPO Publications Country IP Profiles WIPO Knowledge Center WIPO Technology Trends Global Innovation Index World Intellectual Property Report PCT – The International Patent System ePCT Budapest – The International Microorganism Deposit System Madrid – The International Trademark System eMadrid Article 6ter (armorial bearings, flags, state emblems) Hague – The International Design System eHague Lisbon – The International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications eLisbon UPOV PRISMA Mediation Arbitration Expert Determination Domain Name Disputes Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) Digital Access Service (DAS) WIPO Pay Current Account at WIPO WIPO Assemblies Standing Committees Calendar of Meetings WIPO Official Documents Development Agenda Technical Assistance IP Training Institutions COVID-19 Support National IP Strategies Policy & Legislative Advice Cooperation Hub Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Technology Transfer Inventor Assistance Program WIPO GREEN WIPO's Pat-INFORMED Accessible Books Consortium WIPO for Creators WIPO ALERT Member States Observers Director General Activities by Unit External Offices Job Vacancies Procurement Results & Budget Financial Reporting Oversight

Madrid Protocol Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Geneva, June 28, 1999
Press Releases PR/1999/178

Monday, June 28, 1999, marks the tenth anniversary of the signature of the Madrid Protocol. The Madrid Protocol, together with the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, regulates the international registration system for the protection of trademarks, or Madrid system. Both treaties are administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Trademarks help consumers identify the commercial source of goods. Trademarks have become business identifiers and therefore of great economic significance to companies. Consumers come to associate a trademark with the reputation and quality of a given good or service. The protection of trademarks therefore serves to promote fair competition by preventing the abusive use of similar distinctive signs for similar goods and services.

The Madrid system offers the possibility of obtaining protection in each or all of the member States of the Agreement and/or Protocol through one single international trademark application. This provides a cost-effective and efficient solution to companies or individuals who are seeking protection of their trademark(s) in more than one country, since the alternative would be to file a separate application in each country. Protection under the Madrid system is effective for a period of ten years and may be renewed for a further ten year period.

Since the adoption of the Madrid Agreement in 1893, some 710,000 international trademark registrations have been recorded. Over 345,000 international registrations are currently in force. Since each extends, on average, to over 11 countries, this is equivalent to nearly 4 million individual national trademark registrations.

The Madrid Protocol, which came into operation on April 1, 1996, introduced some changes to the international system of trademark protection, which have been successful in attracting wider use of the system. Figures for the first half of this year reflect a positive trend in the use of the Madrid Protocol, which has a membership of 37 countries.

WIPO's trademark registration system is a fully-automated paperless operation using state-of-the-art computer technology for the administration of its procedures. In January 1999, the first international trademark application resulting from purely electronic transmissions was inscribed in the International Register of Marks. It is foreseen that electronic registration and notification of trademark applications will become more widespread in future.

For further information, please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at WIPO:

Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 or 338 95 47
Fax: (+41 22) 338 88 10
E-mail: publicinf@wipo.int

https://www3.wipo.int/contact/en/area.jsp?area=publicinfo https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/ https://www.wipo.int/tools/en/disclaim.html https://www.wipo.int/en/web/privacy-policy/ https://www.wipo.int/en/web/accessibility/ https://www.wipo.int/tools/en/sitemap.html https://www3.wipo.int/newsletters/en/ https://www.wipo.int/en/web/podcasts/ https://www.wipo.int/news/en/