Nov. 25 – The government of India recently approved modification in the Trademarks (Amendment) Bill, encouraging the transfer of technologies to India and quickening the process for India to join the Madrid Protocol on Trade Marks. The move is also a step towards streamlining registration and protection of trademarks within India, ultimately leading to a one window paperless system.

“The amended bill will provide better protection to Indian trademarks in designated member countries and afford reciprocal protection to trademarks from member countries abroad,” minister of state in the prime minister’s office, Prithviraj Chavan told the Financial Express.

India is at an advanced stage of joining the Madrid Protocol which is a simple, facilitative and cost-effective system for registration of international trademarks. India’s membership of the Madrid Protocol will help Indian companies to register their trademarks in the member countries of the Protocol through a single application, the minister had stated.

As of December this year, 84 countries will be part of the Madrid Protocol. The primary advantage of the Madrid system is that it allows a trademark owner to obtain trademark protection in any or all member states by filing one application in one jurisdiction with one set of fees, and make any changes (eg. changes of name or address) and renew registration across all applicable jurisdictions through a single administrative process.

Dezan Shira & Associates can help with trademarl applications in India. For more details, please subscribe and download our Spring Issue of India Briefing.