WIPO has published information on changes to the Common Regulations under the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and the Protocol Relating to that Agreement.

From 1 February 2020, these will become the Regulations under the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International registration of Marks.

The change indicates that the Protocol is the sole treaty governing international applications and registrations under the Madrid System.

WIPO highlights a change to the amended Rule 30, which simplifies renewal of international registrations:

For Contracting Parties that have declared for an individual fee per class, the renewal fee will be calculated taking into account only the number of classes for which protection has been granted.

The simplification means that holders of international registrations who have been granted partial protection and are appealing such decision will no longer be required to pay individual fees for classes that are not protected upon renewal. 

Consequently, item 4 of the renewal form MM11 and the corresponding option in e-Renewal will be removed because they will no longer be required. Item 4 was used to give instructions to renew the international registration for all the goods and services with respect to a Contracting Party where the mark had been only partially protected. The new MM11 form will be available for download as from February 1, 2020.

Where a designated Contracting Party, which has declared for an individual fee per class, informs in a further statement of a change in the goods and services protected, the next renewal fee in respect of that Contracting Party will be calculated in accordance with this further statement.

For more details, see Information Notice No 1/2020.

Look out for more analysis of these changes from the MARQUES International Trade Mark Law and Practice Team soon.