Since March 15, 2021, the Iranian Intellectual Property Center has given access to the Madrid E-filing service to the trademark applicants via its website. The Islamic Republic of Iran becomes the first country in Asia and the Middle East to offer the Madrid e-Filing service to trademark users. The Islamic Republic of Iran had joined the Madrid Protocol with effect from December 25, 2003.
Madrid E-filing Services in Iran
With the adoption of the Madrid E-filing system by Iran on March 15, 2021, followed by Spain on March 16, 2021, the number of users of the E-filing system in the world has increased to 13 including the Benelux, Australia, Georgia, Austria, Lithuania, Estonia, Canada, the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, Iceland and Norway.
Madrid e-Filing service is Madrid System’s online interface for international applications which includes two distinct modules: an Applicant filing module (replacing the MM2 Form) and a customizable ‘Office of origin’ module for IP offices. This introduction of the Madrid e-filing service will enable brand owners in Iran, even in the most remote parts of the vast country of Iran and to millions of Persian speakers around the world, to access the easy and cost-effective Madrid’s E-filing service. The brand owners can file international applications, and the users will have direct access to the Madrid Goods & Services Manager to check the classification of the terms in their list of goods and services. Furthermore, the users will also be able to use the Madrid Goods & Services Manager tool in Persian, alongside the 24 other languages which are already available.
Another advantage of the e-filing system is that now the brand owners/applicants in Iran can receive and respond to the irregularities issued by WIPO electronically, thereby saving a significant amount of time in the processing of the irregularities by WIPO. Other key benefits of the Madrid e-filing system is that there are lesser application irregularities associated with manual data input since the Iranian IP Office’s database fills in the key information, it offers synchronized filing with the WIPO, further, users can check live application status displayed in the e-filing dashboard. The Madrid e-filing system is a simplified and user-friendly single service covering the whole registration process.
Steps for Madrid e-filing services
- The brand owners are required to log in the website of the Iranian Intellectual Property Center and select “Create an application for international registration”.
- The User is then required to enter the basic mark/application reference and check the fields prepopulated with data available from records of the Iranian Intellectual Property Center.
- Thereafter, the User is required to select the designated Contracting Parties and goods and services for which protection is sought.
- The next step is to update mark, holder, representative and language correspondence details.
- The user/applicant is required to pay the fees using a Current Account at WIPO, credit card or by bank transfer.
- Upon certification by the Iranian Intellectual Property Center and the confirmation of payment, the system sends the application directly to WIPO for registration.
- Once an application is received by WIPO, the Applicant responds to irregularity letters when necessary and thereafter, receives the international registration number.
Source: https://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/news/2021/news_0009.html
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