What's different?
The Madrid Protocol trademark system will significantly reduce the cost of:
- South Africans filing foreign trademarks (in up to 100 countries); and
- Foreigners filing trademarks in South Africa.
How?
Old trademark filing system:
New Madrid international trademark system:
Basically, trademark offices now talk to each other, without the interposition of
trademark attorneys.
Advantages of the Madrid international trademark system
Costs:
- Save up to 90% on foreign trademark filing costs.
- Save up to 70% on foreign trademark prosecution costs (i.e. responding to objections by Trademark
Office examiners).
- Save up to 90% on foreign trademark renewal costs.
Time:
- File a foreign trademark within 1 day.
- Guaranteed completion of foreign trademark examination within 18 months.
Simplicity:
- File one international trademark application that covers all designated foreign countries.
- Communicate in English when filing in all designated foreign countries.
- Renew trademarks in all designated foreign countries by making one renewal payment.
- Add more foreign countries to your international trademark registration whenever you like.
