Syria Denounces Madrid Agreement On Trademark Registration

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today announced that it has received notification that Syria will withdraw from the international trademark treaty known as the Madrid Agreement. (Note: the country remains part of the international trademark system through the Madrid Protocol, which is an independent treaty in the Madrid system.)

No reason was given in the WIPO notice [pdf] for Syria’s submission of the instrument of denunciation, but the country is embroiled in political turmoil. It also was not known why the announcement was made today, as it states that the denunciation document was submitted on 29 June. (However, member states were informed about the change promptly, according to a WIPO spokesperson.)

The process will take one year from that date – until 29 June 2013 – to take effect, and WIPO said: “international marks registered up to that date under the Madrid Agreement in respect of the Syrian Arab Republic, and not refused within the period of one year provided for in Article 5, will continue, throughout the period of international protection, to enjoy the same protection in the Syrian Arab Republic as if they had been deposited there directly.”

Syria joined the Madrid Agreement on 5 August 2004, according to the WIPO member list [pdf].