The Madrid System was established in 1891 and functions under the Madrid Agreement (1891), and the Madrid Protocol (1989). The administrator of the Madrid System is the International Bureau of WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Madrid System provides a convenient method of obtaining trademark registrations in multiple countries/jurisdictions. Under the Madrid System the potential register has only to file one application in his/her own national or regional trademark office in lieu of filing at each of the individual local offices. If the trademark office of the designated country does not refuse protection, then the protection of a mark registered through the Madrid System is the same as if it had been registered by that office. The Madrid System also simplifies the maintenance of the mark, since it is possible to record changes or to renew through a single step.
Member States of the Madrid System Include:
- Albania
- Algeria
- Antigua
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bhutan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Bulgaria
- China
- Community Trade Mark
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Iran
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- North Korea
- Norway
- Oman
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sudan
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Zambia
