WIPO today received Brazil’s document for accession to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid system). The Madrid system will become effective in Brazil on October 2 2019.
The key benefit of the Madrid system is that it allows brand owners to seek trade mark protection in many countries by filing one international application. In April, Managing IP interviewed some trade mark practitioners about the potential impact of the Madrid system. The views were mixed. Below are excerpts from the interview:
“[Y]ou will need to re-shape your business to survive,” said one lawyer.
Of the total filings in Brazil, 85% originate locally by Brazilian companies, so the biggest impact “will be felt by locals extending their applications to other countries via the Protocol,” according to another lawyer.
Another said that it will “stimulate other Latin American countries,” but anticipate that only “the ones with more structured offices might be prepared to do so”.
The following ranked firms were featured in the article: Dannemann Siemsen, Gusmão & Labrunie, Kasznar Leonardos and Montaury Pimenta Machado & Vieira de Mello.
Read the article here.
Patent backlog
Yesterday the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) announced its plan to tackle patent application backlog. The INPI's plan includes making use of the examination reports of foreign patent offices, and its goal is to reduce the backlog by 80% by 2021.