If you wish to
register
a trade mark in countries outside of Singapore, you may either make separate applications by
filing directly
with
the IP offices of the respective countries or file a single international application via
the Madrid
Protocol.
The Madrid Protocol is a treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO)
which
governs the international registration of trade marks. It allows applicants to enjoy the
convenience of
obtaining protection for a trade mark in several countries through one application with a single
office, in
one
language, with one set of fees and in one currency.
Pre-filing Checklist
Check that you have fulfilled the following criteria:
-
You have filed a Singapore application for the same
trade mark.
-
The countries in which you wish to protect your trade
mark are contracting parties to the
Madrid Protocol. You may wish to refer to
WIPO’s
website on Madrid Members Profile for
more information on the practices,
procedures and
contact details of the respective contracting parties.
-
You must satisfy at least one of the following entitlement criteria to file
an international application from
Singapore:
-
Find out the required form and fees for filing an international application via the Madrid
Protocol.
Examination Process for an International Application
The steps below outline the stages following the filing of an application through IPOS to
register
a trade
mark outside of Singapore.

- At this stage, IPOS will examine your international application to check
that the requirements
are
complied with.
- If all is in order, IPOS will certify your application and forward it to
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) within 2 months
from the
application filing date. This secures the filing date as the date of
your international
registration.
IPOS will notify you when the application has been forwarded to WIPO.
- If there are deficiencies in your application, you will be notified to
remedy them within a
stipulated
deadline. If you fail to do so, IPOS may not be able to forward your
application to WIPO within
2 months
from your application filing date. Thus, you may fail to secure the
filing date as the date of
your
international registration.
- At this stage, your application will be further examined by the
International Bureau (IB) of
the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
-
If all is in order, your
application will be recorded in
the
International Register and published in the WIPO
Gazette. WIPO will issue a certificate of
the international registration to the
Applicant and notify the designated contracting parties (DCPs).
The certificate issued by WIPO
informs
that the international application conforms to the
applicable requirements under Article
3 of
the Madrid
Protocol, and is not a confirmation that the
mark is
registered
in the DCPs.
-
If there are irregularities in your
application, you will be
notified by
IB to address them within a stipulated deadline. If you
fail to do so, your application
will be
deemed as abandoned.
- At this stage, the designated contracting parties (DCPs)
will conduct substantive
examination of
your international registration according to their
domestic law, within 12 or 18 months
from
their receipt of your application from the International Bureau.
- If your international registration conforms to the
requirements of the DCP(s) and did
not face
any opposition in the DCP(s), your trade mark will be
granted protection in the DCP(s).
Otherwise, you will receive a Provisional Refusal of
Protection from the IP Office(s) of
the
DCP(s). The provisional refusal will state the grounds
for refusal with a stipulated
deadline
for you to file a response or make amendments.