New Zealand to join Madrid Protocol

The New Zealand government and IPONZ have announced that New Zealand will be a member of the Madrid Protocol, effective 10 December 2012. The instrument of accession was deposited on 12 September 2012.

The Madrid Agreement and Protocol is  a series of international agreements that allow an applicant from a member country to file a single application, designating many different territories, and if successful obtain protection in all of them, without requiring local action in those countries. Among the 88 members are  Australia, the US, European Union (and member states), Russia, China, Japan and South Korea. A full list of members is available here:
http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/treaties/en/documents/pdf/madrid_marks.pdf.

This means  that New Zealand can be designated in new or existing Madrid Protocol trade mark filings after that date. This may in many cases simplify and reduce the cost of the process of obtaining protection in New Zealand for Australian brand owners.


by Peter Franke