Madrid Protocol on Intellectual Property

By Gloria Jane Baylon

Ambassador Guy Ledoux of the European Union (EU) in Manila said on Wednesday the Philippines has many promising players in the creative industries who would get even more boost internationally with the country's accession in March to the Madrid Protocol on intellectual property. 

He welcomed the Philippines' accession to the Protocol, saying it would help companies secure their business rights through trademarks in key export markets and expand their reach, including to Europe, the largest regional economy.

Ledoux made the remarks as he addressed business groups, intellectual property lawyers, and other stakeholders at a seminar held at the Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL) in nearby Taguig City on the benefits of the Madrid Protocol.

The Madrid Protocol is a system that facilitates the filing of trademarks in more than one country in just one application. The Philippines is the 85th country to ratify the Madrid Protocol and the event was marked in Manila with the visit here of the director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Francis Gurry. WIPO is the UN specialized agency responsible for protection of intellectual property rights.

IPOPHL Director-General Ricardo Blancaflor anticipates numerous applications from trademark owners when it starts to accept international applications under the Madrid Protocol from July 25 this year.

Ledoux noted that Intellectual Property is a key to any modern economy. "The Philippines has many promising players in the creative industries. Making use of the registration of trademarks under the Madrid system can be a boost to this sector to more easily expand abroad."

The EU-Philippines Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) program, which has a stake in Philippine trademarks, supported the Taguig City event and an earlier one held in Cebu City. At both seminars, two international experts discussed how the Protocol works and how best to use it.

The TRTA is a four-year development cooperation project with a budget of P360 million aimed at supporting economic integration of the Philippines into the regional and international trading community for poverty alleviation.

Blancaflor stated: "Registration of trademarks by Philippine residents continues to be high at over 6,000 last year. Joining the regime can be seen as opening the door to Filipino trademark owners registering abroad."

IPO-Philippines said that accession to the protocol will provide Filipino brand owners with a cost effective and efficient mechanism to seek trademark protection not only locally but also in its major international trading partners that are already members of the Madrid Protocol.

In one single application, trademark can be protected in many other countries at the option of the owners.

Trademark registration fees would still be paid by owners to obtain protection in other countries but the cost is not as much if the application were to be filed separately in each and every country.

This international filing procedure should benefit Filipino companies in terms of lower financial cost of international trademark protection, ultimately contributing to enhanced competitiveness of Philippine products in the domestic and export market.