Earlier this month we heard some good news which will gladden the hearts of those good folk who seek to secure the best and widest international protection for their -- or their clients' -- trade marks. We reproduce the official WIPO notice below.

Right: Thai ties

Madrid (Marks) Notification No. 216
Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks

Accession by the Kingdom of Thailand

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presents his compliments and has the honor to notify the deposit by the Kingdom of Thailand, on August 7, 2017, of its instrument of accession to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, adopted at Madrid on June 27, 1989 (“Madrid Protocol (1989)”), as amended on October 3, 2006, and on November 12, 2007.  The said instrument contained the following declarations:

- in accordance with Article 5(2)(b) of the Madrid Protocol, the time limit for a notification of refusal in respect of international registrations made under the Madrid Protocol will be 18 months and, under Article 5(2)(c) of the said Protocol, when a refusal of protection may result from an opposition to the granting of protection, such refusal may be notified to the International Bureau after the expiry of the 18-month time limit.

- in in accordance with Article 8(7)(a) of the Madrid Protocol, the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand, in connection with each international registration in which it is mentioned under Article 3ter of the said Protocol, and in connection with the renewal of any such international registration, wants to receive, instead of a share in the revenue produced by the supplementary and complementary fees, an individual fee.

The Madrid Protocol(1989) will enter into force, with respect to the Kingdom of Thailand, on November 7, 2017.