WIPO is conducting a survey to gather insights on whether Offices of designated Madrid System members should be required to issue a national or regional certificate when granting protection or renewing an international trademark registration – and what the practical advantages might be.

You can access the survey on WIPO’s website here. It is open until 24 April 2026. MARQUES encourages all members to respond.

The survey was requested at the 23^rd session of the Working Group on the Legal Development of the Madrid System in September 2025.

Chair of the MARQUES International Trade Mark Law and Practice Team Gavin Stenton (Penningtons Manches Cooper, UK) said:

MARQUES welcomes the proposal to provide registration and renewal certificates that are equivalent in all respects and aspects to those provided for national registrations, and to expedite the implementation of this change by allowing a short transitional period. MARQUES notes, however, that specifically for renewals, it is only the International Bureau that presently issues renewal certificates and not the IP Offices of the Contracting Parties.

MARQUES confirms that electronic registration and renewal certificates are of great value to its members, as they are easily and cost-effectively transmitted, stored and retrieved, but recognises that where a Contracting Party does not already provide national registration certificates in this format, it might not be possible, nor desirable, to treat International Registrations differently.

MARQUES would encourage Contracting Parties to consider, during the implementation period proposed by the International Bureau, whether electronic registration certificates could be provided and/or whether the foundation could be laid for this in any amended legislation or regulation required to implement the proposed change for International Registrations. Evidently, in order for this welcome proposal to succeed, it remains imperative that Grants of Protection (to which the proposed registration certificates would be attached) are being issued (without fail) by IP Offices of all Contracting Parties for all International Registrations.