On October 6, 2016, the Government of Brunei Darussalam deposited with the Director General of WIPO its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Marks.
Brunei is the 98th member of the Madrid System. The Protocol will enter into force with respect to Brunei Darussalam on January 6, 2017.
Starting next year, local brand owners in Brunei Darussalam can begin using the Madrid System to protect their trademarks. This is in force in the 114 territories of its 98 members. Filing a single international application in one language and paying one set of fees in a single currency. These countries represent in excess of 80% of world trade and membership is growing every year.
The Madrid System has a straight-forward designation process, which enables foreign companies and trademark owners to easily seek protection for their trademarks when introducing their products and services in Brunei Darussalam.
Furthermore, the accession of Brunei Darussalam to the Madrid System highlights the System’s emergence as a key component of protecting trademarks internationally.
Since its inception, the Madrid System has continued to adapt to the needs of users. It’s adopting convenient and cost-effective features to facilitate the registration and management of trademarks across multiple territories. Filing an international application is the equivalent of filing a bundle of national applications, effectively saving time and money. Furthermore, through the Madrid System there is no need to pay for translations into multiple languages. No need also to spend extra time working through the administrative procedures of multiples offices.
Source: WIPO
