Entrepreneurs of the 21st century have been granted a unique opportunity in terms of economics. We live in a world that practically has no borders. Economic prosperity knows no limits and boundaries. Businesspeople, in today’s world, can transcend country lines to extract and produce wealth from marketplaces all over the world!
However, even though the whole world has literally been transformed into a marketplace through Globalization, entrepreneurs have it even more difficult now. Globalization is a double-edged sword. And, a larger market results in a far broader and deeper competition.
Unsplash | The world’s economic market has become even more competitive than it was before
As such, people often opt for ill ways to stay ahead of their competition. One of the most common ways of doing so is Trademark Infringement. The best way to guard your business against the illicit behaviors of other people is by filing an international trademark application. When you are around the world, conducting your business, this application will protect it from being used by other companies for their own good.
What’s The Purpose Of An International Trademark
So to explain, let’s consider Apple. When Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were starting their business, they decided to get a national trademark that kept their company’s name safeguarded within the country.
Unsplash | Apple started as a small company operating from a garage
Now, as the company started growing, the founders witness international potential in their business. Who wouldn’t be interested to jump on the bandwagon of innovation and technology? Hence, at this point, the founders decided to file for an International Trademark.
By doing so, the entire world would be restricted to sell products under their name. If someone, for example, is caught breaching the law, then they are liable to provide compensation to the trademark owners.
How To File For International Trademark Protection
There are two ways in which you can file your company for international trademark protection. The first is heading towards your country’s intellectual property office, where you’ll be aided throughout your application process. The second way is to submit your application directly to the Madrid Protocol. This is a branch of the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property.
The essential purpose for doing so is that, instead of having the business hop from place to place to file for trademark rights, you can earn trademark rights for all the countries that fall under the Madrid Protocol, just by submitting only one application.
Unsplash | You can submit your trademark application from your laptop
How To Submit A Trademark Application To The Madrid Protocol
It is fairly simple to submit your application to the Madrid Protocol. You can do so by following these steps:
1. File for a trademark within your home country through the intellectual property office. In the United States, for example, that would be the Patent and Trademark office.
2. From your country’s intellectual property’s website, access the Madrid Protocol Application page
3. Enter your business’s TM application serial number and select the appropriate services/goods that fall under the trademark
4. Select the countries that you would like to include in your trademark
5. Insert vital information about the trademark holder for verification purposes
6. Pay the filing fees
7. Submit your application
While filling out your application, ensure that you do not make any errors as the slightest slip up could lead to the rejection of your trademark. The perfect time to file for an international trademark is when your company is big enough that it does not want its competitor to sell products under its name in countries around the world.
