Pakistan joins WIPO’s Madrid System
Pakistan has formally joined the Madrid System for international trademark registrations, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
Pakistani ambassador Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi deposited the accession to join the Madrid System in a meeting with WIPO director general on February 24th.
Pakistan is the 108th member of the Madrid System, which allows trademark applicants in member states to protect their intellectual property in 124 countries.
The agreement will enter into force on May 24 2021, allowing Pakistani brand owners the ability to file a single international application to secure the protection.
“With its entry into the Madrid system, Pakistan has taken an important step in supporting its brand owners, entrepreneurs and enterprises as well as further strengthening its IP ecosystem,” said WIPO director general Daren Tang.
“For those interested in bringing their brands into the Pakistan market of over 200 million people, the Madrid System will make it easier for them to enter and scale into the market.”
The Madrid Protocol has recorded more than 1.5 million international trademark registrations since its inception in 1891. Whilst the system has been in place for more than 125 years, three-quarters of its member states have joined in the past three decades.
Trinidad and Tobago was the most recent country to join the Madrid System, signing on in October last year.
Pakistan United Nations ambassador Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi said: “Pakistan has international brands in several sectors, including fashion, hospitality management and foods, joining the Madrid Protocol allows them to expand their outreach.
“It is a win-win proposition. Asia is a fast growing region, and within that Pakistan’s economy is growing, so that gives an opportunity for foreign trademark holders to come into Pakistan to invest and take advantage of the opportunities that exist here.”
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox
Today’s top stories
BeIN sues Fenerbahçe over ‘remarkable’ bias claims
US Navy violated software licence, Fed Circuit finds
Taylor Swift’s rights holders countersues Evermore theme park
Already registered?
Login to your account
If you don't have a login or your access has expired, you will need to purchase a subscription to gain access to this article, including all our online content.
For more information on individual annual subscriptions for full paid access and corporate subscription options please contact us.
To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.
For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk