WIPO Enables Online Renewal Of International Trademarks

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

10 April 2006

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched a new service last week that will enable trademark owners to renew their international trademark registrations on-line, making this a more cost-effective and efficient procedure.

The new "e-renewal" service was launched on April 3, and represents a simple way of renewing international trademark registrations up to six months before the date on which the payment of the renewal fee is due.

Under the new WIPO e-renewal service, users can renew trademarks registered under the Madrid System for the International Registration of Trademarks simply by entering the number of their international registration. A screen will then show the name of the holder of that international registration, the name of the representative, if any, and the list of the states in which the international registration may be renewed. Having selected the countries for which renewal is sought, the fees due are automatically calculated.

However, WIPO revealed that it will continue to receive requests for renewal of international applications on paper for trademark owners that wish to continue to do so.

The Organisation additionally announced last week that it has upgraded its PatentScope online database, meaning that over 1.2 million international applications under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) are now available in full text format on the day they are published.

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