Tunisia joins the Madrid protocol

September 2013

This is a welcome development by Tunisia, which had previously withdrawn from the Madrid Agreement in 1988.

Accordingly, Tunisia will become the 91st state to join the Madrid system, which provides trademark protection for its member states across multiple jurisdictions.

The Madrid Protocol (1989) will enter into force, with respect to the Republic of Tunisia, on October 16, 2013.

About the Madrid Protocol

• The Madrid Protocol is an international treaty, administered by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which has the aim of facilitating the procurement and maintenance of trademark registrations.
• Adopted in 1989, the system provides an efficient method of achieving expanded international protection for a trademark that has already been applied for or registered in the applicant’s home country (the country of origin).
• In a nutshell, the Madrid Protocol (1989) is a vehicle to obtain and maintain registration of trademarks in multiple jurisdictions through a single trademark office.