Tuesday 12 September 2017

Thailand joins the Madrid System

Thailand has recently deposited its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol and it has become the 99th member of the Madrid System concerning the International Registration of Marks. 

With the accession of Thailand, fewer and fewer Southeast Asian countries remain outside the international trademark registration system. This new accession will make the internationalization of trademark rights easier for rightholders through simplified protection strategies in a highly popular jurisdiction.

Over the past few years, Thailand has been working on harmonizing its local registration system and preparing to join the International System. For example, they have adapted their local classification of goods and services "item by item" in line with a more homogeneous application of the Nice Classification. However, in Thailand there are legal and administrative peculiarities, such as, for example, the requirement to associate trademarks belonging to the same proprietor. 

We shall see how the Department of Intellectual Property (DPI) handles the new scenario regarding international registration of trademarks.

Author: Cristina Arroyo

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