International trade mark registration

WIPO trade mark registration procedure

The international trade mark registration system run by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is called the Madrid system. One application in English or French and one set of payments in Swiss francs can provide trade mark protection in 120 countries.

The international application is based on the original national application. This means that the Madrid system allows the registration of a trade mark pending registration or already registered with the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland. The application must contain a mark identical to the one originally submitted for registration and an identical list of goods and services to be trademarked (drawn up according to the Nice Classification). The application must also indicate in which countries the trade mark will be protected.

The application is filed with the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland and forwarded to the WIPO office in Geneva, where it is checked for any inconsistencies. If none are found, the trade mark is registered and published in WIPO’s International Gazette. Then, WIPO notifies all the relevant offices in the countries listed in the application. Each country examines the application according to its own rules and issues a decision whether or not to register. Information about the decision is sent to the WIPO office, which notifies the applicant.

International protection is granted for 10 years and can be extended multiple times.