On September 1, 2010, Israel joined the Madrid System for the
International Registration of Trademarks. The Madrid System, which
was established more than 100 years ago, provides trademark owners
with a single procedure to protect their marks in over 80 countries
simultaneously.
Overview
Prior to joining the Madrid System, an Israeli company seeking
to protect its trademark internationally was required to perform
numerous separate procedures in each of the countries in which it
sought protection: fill in and submit multiple applications
(including in different languages), pay local application fees,
communicate with the local trademark office and more. Such
procedures are both costly and cumbersome. This is especially true
given that local trademark laws and regulations may be
substantially different from one country to the other. The major
novelty offered by the Madrid System is the ability to apply for
trademark protection in various countries simultaneously
