International trade has been increasing steadily over the last 50 years. Today, few companies can afford to rely on their home market alone. Companies look to expand by penetrating established markets and creating new markets for their products. Marketing the same product under different trademarks in different countries is inefficient and costly in terms of promotion, advertising, and packaging. To reduce these costs and file a single trademark registration application, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has initiated and promoted the Madrid Protocol.
The United States became a member of the Protocol in November 2002, and benefits of filing under the Protocol became available in November 2003—an important step in making trademark filing easier in multiple countries. Specifically, the Protocol is an international trademark filing treaty that enables a company or an individual to file a single trademark application with the USPTO and extend it to as many member countries of the Protocol as desired. There are currently more than 50 Protocol members, including most of Western Europe, Australia, China, and Japan. Application to the extended countries is conveniently done in one language and with one fee.
To find out more please access our IP Primer page.