Brazil became the 105th member of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks, which now covers 121 countries. The Madrid Protocol allows US applicants to extend protection of their US applications/registrations to member countries.

To qualify under the System the Applicant has to have:

  1. A) A real and effective industrial or commercial establishment in a contracting party;
  2. B) Is domiciled in a contracting party;
  3. C) Is a national of a contracting state; or
  4. D) Is a national of a state member of a contracting organization.

Starting Today Tuesday October 2, 2019, trademark owners worldwide can now, by filing a single international application and paying a single set of fees in their home country, also designate Brazil. With its straightforward designation process, foreign companies and trademark owners can seek trademark protection through the Madrid System when selling their products and services in Brazil.

This agreement has the following advantages:

  1. Less costly: Instead of applying in each country directly, having to hire local attorneys in each, the application goes through a central authority in Geneva to each Country Trademark Office directly.
  2. No need to hire local attorneys, saving time and money. However, if during the prosecution of the application an Office Action or Refusal is issued by the local Trademark Office, then the hiring of a local attorney will be required to handle the response.
  3. Less paperwork, no legalization or notarization of any document is required.
  4. Fast, the process takes approximately 3 months at the International level. Once the International Authority approves the International Registration, the application is sent to each individual country where they are given twelve months to accept or refuse it.
  5. Simplified renewals, assignments and recordals, all done centrally.

Like everything in life, it also has some disadvantages:

  1.  If the US application is refused or denied, the Madrid Protocol Application will be refused too.
  2. Doctrine of Central Attack, means that during the first five years of registration, the international registration is completely dependent on the US filing. Meaning that if the US mark is abandoned, cancelled or invalidated the international registration is automatically cancelled. However, after the initial five-year period, the international registration stands independent and is not dependent on the US filing.
  3. With the exception of Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and now Brazil, most of the Latin-American countries do not belong to this Protocol.  Thus, if you desire to file trademark applications in Peru or Chile for example, an individually application country by country will be required.

Madrid Protocol Member countries as of October 2019:

Afghanistan AF African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) OA Albania AL Algeria DZ Antigua and Barbuda AG Armenia AM Australia AU Austria AT Azerbaijan AZ Bahrain BH Belarus BY Benelux BX Bhutan BT Bosnia and Herzegovina BA Botswana Brazil BR BW Brunei Darussalam BN Bulgaria BG Cambodia KH Canada CA Caribbean Netherlands (BES Islands) BQ China CN Colombia CO Croatia HR Cuba CU Curacao CW Cyprus CY Czech Republic CZ Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) KP Denmark DK Egypt EG Estonia EE Eswatini SZ European Union (EUIPO) EM Finland FI France FR Gambia GM Georgia GE Germany DE Ghana GH Greece GR Hungary HU Iceland IS India IN Indonesia ID Iran (Islamic Republic of) IR Ireland IE Israel IL Italy IT Japan JP Kazakhstan KZ Kenya KE Kyrgyzstan KG Laos LA Latvia LV Lesotho LS Liberia LR Liechtenstein LI Lithuania LT Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of MK Madagascar MG Malawi MW Mexico MX Moldova, Republic of MD Monaco MC Mongolia MN Montenegro ME Morocco MA Mozambique MZ Namibia NA New Zealand NZ Norway NO Oman OM Philippines PH Poland PL Portugal PT Republic of Korea (South Korea) KR Romania RO Russian Federation RU Rwanda RW Samoa WS San Marino SM Sao Tome and Principe ST Serbia RS Sierra Leone SL Singapore SG Sint Maarten SX Slovakia SK Slovenia SI Spain ES Sudan SD Sweden SE Switzerland CH Syria SY Tajikistan TJ Thailand TH Tunisia TN Turkey TR Turkmenistan TM Ukraine UA United Kingdom GB Uzbekistan UZ Vietnam VN Zambia ZM Zimbabwe ZW.

I have helped countless small to medium businesses protecting their brands internationally. I’d like to help you too by helping you expand protection of your trademarks rights overseas before a competitor does.

Augusto Perera, Esq.
Intellectual Property, Business and Legal Affairs Attorney

Augusto Perera, P.A.
2525 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
Suite #300
Coral Gables, FL 33134

T:305-489-1901
T: 888-581-0816
F 305-721-1532
C: 786-200-8674 (Call, Text or WhatsApp)
E: ap@tmmiami.com
www.tmmiami.com