Qatar Joins the Madrid System

On May 3, 2024, Qatar presented its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Trademarks, as part of Qatar’s initiatives under the National Development Vision 2030.

The 115th Member and 4th GCC country to join the Madrid System

Qatar is the 115th Member of the Madrid System, and the fourth Gulf Country to join the Madrid System after Bahrain (in 2005), Oman (in 2007), and the United Arab Emirates (in 2021).

The Madrid Protocol enters into force in Qatar on August 3, 2024

Qatar joining the Madrid System was announced by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on May 4, 2024. This was confirmed by an announcement by the WIPO on 6 May 2024, celebrating the fact that the WIPO’s international trademark system will soon cover 131 countries, once the Madrid Protocol enters into force in Qatar on August 3, 2024.

What does this mean for trademark owners or applicants in Qatar?

Once the Madrid Protocol enters into force in Qatar, any owner or applicant of a national trademark registration or application can use the Madrid System to apply for the same trademark in any number of countries from the remaining 130 countries simultaneously, by filing one international application before the same trademark office in Qatar.

However, it should be noted that each country will examine the application separately. Accordingly, the same application may be accepted in a country and rejected in another.

About the Madrid Protocol and the Madrid System

Adopted in 1989, the Madrid Protocol is an international treaty governing the Madrid System and administered by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The aim of the Madrid System is facilitating the procurement and maintenance of trademark registrations, by providing an efficient method allowing filing and maintaining trademarks registrations in multiple jurisdictions simultaneously or at different times, using the services of a single trademark office.

How can we help?

If you have any questions or need further details about this new update and how it may be beneficial to you, please feel free to contact one of our key contacts and we would be happy to assist you. Our team of lawyers regularly advise and assist clients on all that is related to trademark protection, prosecution, enforcement, litigation and commercialization in Qatar and the wider MENA region.