One year ago, on June 17, 2019, the Madrid Protocol came into force in Canada. Since that date, Canadian businesses and innovators have been able to obtain trademark protection in up to 122 countries by filing 1 single international application in 1 language with the World Intellectual Property Organization, with 1 set of fees and in 1 currency. In addition, applicants filing from outside the country can designate Canada as a jurisdiction for a registered trademark.
The Madrid Protocol has been a tremendous success story for Canada. Since coming into force, Canada has been designated in trademark applications over 18,000 times! The modernized framework has had important benefits for businesses, including reducing filing costs, lowering the administrative burden, enhancing e-services, and allowing for new forms of trademarks.
Joining this international intellectual property (IP) treaty is just one of the many ways the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is working to become a premier IP office, with a goal of offering the highest quality services to its applicants and linking them to the global IP system seamlessly.
The Government of Canada is committed to making Canada a global innovation centre. A strong IP system is key to encouraging innovation, attracting investment, and helping businesses succeed in the global marketplace. CIPO will continue to build on its strong foundation as a world leader in the IP ecosystem.