Posts Tagged: "Madrid Protocol"

International Trademark Filing Strategies: How, When & Where to File a Trademark Outside the U.S.

International trademarks were once only necessary for large scale businesses and corporations. In today’s global marketplace, however, nearly any business, especially a business with online exposure, should consider filing for an international trademark. With the rise of counterfeiters and cybersquatters in other countries, like China, protecting your brand at home and across the world may be more critical than ever. Having a strategic trademark plan on a global scale will ensure your brand’s value will be managed by you, not an imposter from a country half the world away. Consider the following as you begin the process to register your trademark internationally.

USPTO to Propose Rule Requiring Foreign Trademark Applicants to Use U.S. Licensed Attorneys to File Documents

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is working on developing a rule that would require foreign trademark applicants and registrants to be represented by a U.S. licensed attorney when filing trademark documents with the USPTO. The rule will enter a public comment period in November, when the Office plans to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking on the new requirement. The public comment period will end in February leading up to a final action next June which will become effective in July 2019.

Navigating the Maze of International Cannabis Trademarks

Some have dubbed it the modern-day gold rush while skeptics warn of the hostile attitude of the current administration in Washington D.C. Whatever the view there is no denying that the marijuana legalization landscape is contentious and demands attention, including from trademark attorneys who will increasingly see their clients interested in cannabis related business activities, and consequently in obtaining cannabis trademarks.

Estimating the Costs for Filing, Registering, and Renewing Single-class Trademarks across the Globe

Estimates for renewing the trademark for one term (including the attorney costs) in the U.S. and the other seven Convention countries vary from $320 in Thailand to $2,120 in the U.S., while the same amounts to $4,556 under the Madrid Protocol (Figure 5). The estimates are inclusive of the costs for filing combined affidavits under Section 8 (affidavit of use) and Section 15 (incontestability) in the U.S., in addition to the costs for filing an “Affidavit of Continued Use” under Section 9 in the U.S. The individual country renewal fees under the Madrid Protocol vary from $80 in India to $925 in the EU (Figure 6).