Sept choses à savoir sur les demandes de marques internationales

Le paysage international des marques, composé d'un grand nombre de systèmes, de langues, de lois et de cultures, peut être quelque peu intimidant.

Fortunately, a number of treaties and systems are in place to help you streamline your international trademark application and leverage the most value from your intellectual property in many of the countries in which you do business.

Utilisés à bon escient, ces systèmes peuvent représenter un énorme gain de temps et d'argent pour les entreprises qui souhaitent déposer des demandes dans plus d'une juridiction.

1. Il existe trois accords clés relatifs aux marques internationales

The oldest of these dates back more than 130 years. The Paris Convention of 1883 is the oldest and largest of these. There are currently 177 member states, and this convention first provided the ability to claim an earlier filing date as a ‘priority right’, once it is filed within six months of your earlier filing in another member country.

The Madrid Agreement of 1891 has 55 member countries and along with the Madrid Protocol makes up the ‘Madrid System’ for the registration of international trademarks. At the time of writing, the Madrid Protocol of 1989 has 98 parties. The World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) is the portal for the administration of policies regarding and processing of international applications.

Le protocole et l'arrangement de Madrid sont des systèmes parallèles - lorsqu'un pays est signataire des deux, c'est le protocole qui prévaut.

2. There Is No Such Thing as an "Internationally Effective" Trademark.

While the Madrid System certainly provides convenient access to a large number of regions in which you can enjoy protection, there is no system that can provide you with a truly international trademark.

WIPO will formally examine your trademark application, however, each contracting party (country) in which you apply to register will have the opportunity to examine the application under their system. You may still end up dealing with a number of contracting offices in different countries.

3. You don't file an application directly through WIPO

If you are applying from a country which is a party to the Madrid Agreement only, that application must be submitted through your national office and be based on a finalized registration. An application will not do. The mark being applied for must be identical in terms of both the mark itself and the goods and services applied for. While you can prepare a paper application to be submitted, handwritten forms will not be accepted!

Pour les demandes au titre du protocole de Madrid, il suffit d'une demande nationale plutôt que d'un enregistrement finalisé. La demande doit être certifiée par l'Office d'origine. Les offices nationaux examinent la demande et disposent d'un délai de 18 mois pour accepter ou refuser la marque.

There are different forms depending on your country designation so care must be taken to ensure you have the correct form!

4. Votre marque internationale dépend de votre enregistrement national pendant les cinq premières années

Bien que ce sujet ait fait l'objet de nombreux débats ces dernières années, la protection de votre enregistrement international de marque dépend actuellement de votre enregistrement national auprès de l'Office d'origine.

Should anything untoward occur with your home registration in the first five years of your international registration, it will be impacted too. If another company can find a valid reason to do so and apply to have your home registration cancelled within the dependency period, you could lose your international registrations too. This process is known as a ‘central attack’.

5. Vous pouvez ajouter d'autres pays ultérieurement

Une fois que vous êtes titulaire d'un enregistrement international, vous pouvez désigner d'autres "parties contractantes" dans le cadre d'une désignation postérieure. Qu'est-ce qu'une désignation postérieure ?

It’s a request made by you the holder for an extension of protection of your original international registration. Such requests for amendments can be made directly to the World Intellectual Property Office through their Subsequent Designation system.

6. Les conditions d'enregistrement et d'utilisation sont généreuses

• An international registration lasts for ten years from the date of registration.

• You are permitted up to five years before proof of use may be required where such use is not a requirement of registration in any contracting regions.
• It may be renewed for additional ten-year periods for a renewal fee.

7. La procédure de dépôt est relativement simple.

La procédure de dépôt s'effectue auprès de l'Office des marques de votre pays (l'Office d'origine), qui certifie votre demande. Vous pouvez déposer votre demande soit par le biais d'un système électronique (s'il est disponible dans votre pays), soit par le biais d'une demande sur papier.

NOTE: You can find the official list of requirements here.

Vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur nos solutions d'examen, de recherche et de surveillance des marques internationales ?

If you need an integrated trademark solution that supports you on every step of the trademark lifecycle, our end-to-end trademark technologies cover you all the way.

Perform your initial trademark Screening using a sophisticated tool that employs a proprietary phonetics engine to cover more than 1,000 databases. Then, work with expert researchers on our collaborative Search platform to better understand all the obstacles and risks flagged by our best-in-class search engine. When it comes to Watching, our diligent analysts connect with you virtually to provide high-quality, accurate data to help you maintain the integrity of your international trademarks.

Parler à un expert