27 February 2007

India expects to accede to the Madrid Protocol

Swift trade mark registration in India within reach.

The Indian government has just approved a plan for the country's accession to the interna-tional trade mark registration system - the Madrid Protocol.

Swift processing within reach

If India's accession to the Madrid Protocol becomes a reality it will mean significant administrative and financial relaxation for Danish companies that wish to register trade marks in India. By the accession, India undertakes to process and approve or reject international registrations within 18 months. Today it can take more than three years to have an application processed in India.

India's accession depends on an approval in the Indian parliament and an amendment to the Indian legislation regarding application and registration of trade marks. If everything goes well, India's accession to the Madrid Protocol should be possible as of 2008.

By way of comparison, it may be mentioned that already in 1998 India acceded to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Written by: Ellen Breddam