Pakistan accedes to Madrid Protocol
12 March 2021
Starting on May 24, 2021, brand owners in Pakistan can take advantage of the Madrid System in registering and protecting their trademarks locally and globally with the country’s accession to the Madrid Protocol on February 24, 2021.
Through the Madrid System, the local brand owners, which includes leading personalities and cricket players with world-famous personal brands, can file just one international application for their trademarks to cover the System’s 123 territories and 107 other members. This also comes with a one-time payment of fees consisting of: the basic fee, complementary/individual fee per designated contracting party and a supplementary fee for each class of goods and services in excess of three.
The convenience of the process will allow the brand owners to expand and grow their business and enforce their intellectual property rights more efficiently.
Pakistan’s accession to the System also now makes it possible for overseas companies doing business in Pakistan or aiming to penetrate the market to protect their trademarks in the country with just one international application.
For Sana Shaikh Fikree, a senior associate at Vellani & Vellani in Karachi, this is a huge and much-needed step by the Pakistani government.
“With Pakistan’s adoption of the Madrid Protocol, some of the leading brands of Pakistan in sectors as diverse as food and beverage, hospitality and fashion and clothing, would be able to strengthen their position in export markets. The local brand owners would be able to secure trademark registrations in the most cost and time-efficient manner. It would also benefit small to medium-sized enterprises and local entrepreneurs to explore international markets and seek protection of their brands by availing the straightforward and cost-effective simple registration system provided by the Madrid Protocol, which otherwise would have been a very costly proposition for them. Likewise, Pakistan’s adoption of the Madrid System could play a pivotal role in attracting foreign brand owners and investors to explore the potential of the Pakistani market of over 200 million consumers.”
Fikree added that this development will also enable Pakistan to further reinforce its IP ecosystem.
Pakistan is the Madrid System’s 108th member. The Madrid Protocol will enter into force for Pakistan on May 24, 2021.
Espie Angelica A. de Leon
