Common Regulations under the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and the Protocol Relating to that Agreement

Common Regulations under
the Madrid Agreement Concerning
the International Registration of Marks
and the Protocol Relating to that Agreement

(as in force on April 1, 2002)

List of Rules

Chapter 1: General Provisions

Rule 1: Abbreviated Expressions
Rule 2: Communication with the International Bureau
Rule 3: Representation Before the International Bureau
Rule 4: Calculation of Time Limits
Rule 5: Irregularities in Postal and Delivery Services
Rule 6: Languages
Rule 7: Notification of Certain Special Requirements

Chapter 2: International Applications

Rule 8: Several Applicants
Rule 9: Requirements Concerning the International Application
Rule 10: Fees Concerning the International Application
Rule 11: Irregularities Other Than Those Concerning the Classification of Goods and Services or Their Indication
Rule 12: Irregularities With Respect to the Classification of Goods and Services
Rule 13: Irregularities With Respect to the Indication of Goods and Services

Chapter 3: International Registrations

Rule 14: Registration of the Mark in the International Register
Rule 15: Date of the International Registration

Chapter 4: Facts in Contracting Parties Affecting International Registrations

Rule 16: Time Limit for Notifying Provisional Refusal Based on an Opposition
Rule 17: Provisional Refusal and Statement of Grant of Protection
Rule 18: Irregular Notifications of Provisional Refusal
Rule 19: Invalidations in Designated Contracting Parties
Rule 20: Restriction of the Holder’s Right of Disposal
Rule 20bis: Licenses
Rule 21: Replacement of a National or Regional Registration
by an International Registration
Rule 22: Ceasing of Effect of the Basic Application, of the Registration Resulting Therefrom, or of the Basic Registration
Rule 23: Division or Merger of the Basic Applications, of the Registrations Resulting Therefrom, or of the Basic Registrations

Chapter 5: Subsequent Designations; Changes

Rule 24: Designation Subsequent to the International Registration
Rule 25: Request for Recording of a Change; Request for Recording of a Cancellation
Rule 26: Irregularities in Requests for Recording of a Change and for Recording of a Cancellation
Rule 27: Recording and Notification of a Change or of a Cancellation; Merger of International Registrations; Declaration That a Change in Ownership or a Limitation Has No Effect
Rule 28: Corrections in the International Register

Chapter 6: Renewals

Rule 29: Unofficial Notice of Expiry
Rule 30: Details Concerning Renewal
Rule 31: Recording of the Renewal; Notification and Certificate

Chapter 7: Gazette and Data Base

Rule 32: Gazette
Rule 33: Electronic Data Base

Chapter 8: Fees

Rule 34: Amounts and Payment of Fees
Rule 35: Currency of Payments
Rule 36: Exemption From Fees
Rule 37: Distribution of Supplementary Fees and Complementary Fees
Rule 38: Crediting of Individual Fees to the Accounts of the Contracting Parties Concerned

Chapter 9: Miscellaneous

Rule 39: Continuation of Effects of International Registrations in Certain Successor States
Rule 40: Entry into Force; Transitional Provisions
Rule 41: Administrative Instructions

Chapter 1
General Provisions

Rule 1
Abbreviated Expressions

For the purposes of these Regulations,

(i) “Agreement” means the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks of April 14, 1891, as revised at Stockholm on July 14, 1967, and amended on September 28, 1979;

(ii) “Protocol” means the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, adopted at Madrid on June 27, 1989;

(iii) “Contracting Party” means any country party to the Agreement or any State or intergovernmental organization party to the Protocol;

(iv) “Contracting State” means a Contracting Party that is a State;

(v) “Contracting Organization” means a Contracting Party that is an intergovernmental organization;

(vi) “international registration” means the registration of a mark effected under the Agreement or the Protocol or both, as the case may be;

(vii) “international application” means an application for international registration filed under the Agreement or the Protocol or both, as the case may be;

(viii) “international application governed exclusively by the Agreement” means an international application whose Office of origin is the Office

of a State bound by the Agreement but not by the Protocol, or
of a State bound by both the Agreement and the Protocol where all the States designated in the international application are bound by the Agreement (whether or not those States are also bound by the Protocol);

(ix) “international application governed exclusively by the Protocol” means an international application whose Office of origin is the Office

of a State bound by the Protocol but not by the Agreement, or
of a Contracting Organization, or
of a State bound by both the Agreement and the Protocol where the international application does not contain the designation of any State bound by the Agreement;

(x) “international application governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol” means an international application whose Office of origin is the Office of a State bound by both the Agreement and the Protocol and which is based on a registration and contains the designations

of at least one State bound by the Agreement (whether or not that State is also bound by the Protocol), and
of at least one State bound by the Protocol but not by the Agreement or of at least one Contracting Organization;

(xi) “applicant” means the natural person or legal entity in whose name the international application is filed;

(xii) “legal entity” means a corporation, association or other group or organization which, under the law applicable to it, is capable of acquiring rights, assuming obligations and suing or being sued in a court of law;

(xiii) “basic application” means the application for the registration of a mark that has been filed with the Office of a Contracting Party and that constitutes the basis for the international application for the registration of that mark;

(xiv) “basic registration” means the registration of a mark that has been effected by the Office of a Contracting Party and that constitutes the basis for the international application for the registration of that mark;

(xv) “designation” means the request for extension of protection (“territorial extension”) under Article 3ter(1) or (2) of the Agreement or under Article 3ter(1) or (2) of the Protocol, as the case may be; it also means such extension as recorded in the International Register;

(xvi) “designated Contracting Party” means a Contracting Party for which the extension of protection (“territorial extension”) has been requested under Article 3ter(1) or (2) of the Agreement or under Article 3ter(1) or (2) of the Protocol, as the case may be, or in respect of which such extension has been recorded in the International Register;

(xvii) “Contracting Party designated under the Agreement” means a designated Contracting Party for which the extension of protection (“territorial extension”) requested under Article 3ter(1) or (2) of the Agreement has been recorded in the International Register;

(xviibis) “Contracting Party whose designation is governed by the Agreement” means a Contracting Party designated under the Agreement or, where a change of ownership has been recorded and the Contracting Party of the holder is bound by the Agreement, a designated Contracting Party which is bound by the Agreement;

(xviii) “Contracting Party designated under the Protocol” means a designated Contracting Party for which the extension of protection (“territorial extension”) requested under Article 3ter(1) or (2) of the Protocol has been recorded in the International Register;

(xix) “notification of provisional refusal” means a declaration by the Office of a designated Contracting Party, in accordance with Article 5(1) of the Agreement or Article 5(1) of the Protocol;

(xixbis) “invalidation” means a decision by the competent authority (whether administrative or judicial) of a designated Contracting Party revoking or cancelling the effects, in the territory of that Contracting Party, of an international registration with regard to all or some of the goods or services covered by the designation of the said Contracting Party;

(xx) “Gazette” means the periodical gazette referred to in Rule 32;

(xxi) “holder” means the natural person or legal entity in whose name the international registration is recorded in the International Register;

(xxii) “International Classification of Figurative Elements” means the Classification established by the Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks of June 12, 1973;

(xxiii) “International Classification of Goods and Services” means the Classification established by the Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks of June 15, 1957, as revised at Stockholm on July 14, 1967, and at Geneva on May 13, 1977;

(xxiv) “International Register” means the official collection of data concerning international registrations maintained by the International Bureau, which data the Agreement, the Protocol or the Regulations require or permit to be recorded, irrespective of the medium in which such data are stored;

(xxv) “Office” means the Office of a Contracting Party in charge of the registration of marks, or the common Office referred to in Article 9quater of the Agreement or Article 9quater of the Protocol, or both, as the case may be;

(xxvi) “Office of origin” means the Office of the country of origin defined in Article 1(3) of the Agreement or the Office of origin defined in Article 2(2) of the Protocol, or both, as the case may be;

(xxvibis) “Contracting Party of the holder” means

the Contracting Party whose Office is the Office of origin, or
where a change of ownership has been recorded, the Contracting Party, or one of the Contracting Parties, in respect of which the holder fulfills the conditions, under Articles 1(2) and 2 of the Agreement or under Article 2 of the Protocol, to be the holder of an international registration;

(xxvii) “official form” means a form established by the International Bureau or any form having the same contents and format;

(xxviii) “prescribed fee” means the applicable fee set out in the Schedule of Fees;

(xxix) “Director General” means the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization;

(xxx) “International Bureau” means the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

(xxxi) “Administrative Instructions” means the Administrative Instructions referred to in Rule 41.

Rule 2
Communication with the International Bureau

Communications addressed to the International Bureau shall be effected as specified in the Administrative Instructions.

Rule 3
Representation Before the International Bureau

(1) [Representative; Address of Representative; Number of Representatives] (a) The applicant or the holder may have a representative before the International Bureau.

(b) The address of the representative shall be,

(i) in respect of an international application governed exclusively by the Agreement, in the territory of a Contracting Party bound by the Agreement;

(ii) in respect of an international application governed exclusively by the Protocol, in the territory of a Contracting Party bound by the Protocol;

(iii) in respect of an international application governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol, in the territory of a Contracting Party;

(iv) in respect of an international registration, in the territory of a Contracting Party.

(c) The applicant or the holder may have one representative only. Where the appointment indicates several representatives, only the one indicated first shall be considered to be a representative and be recorded as such.

(d) Where a partnership or firm composed of attorneys or patent or trademark agents has been indicated as representative to the International Bureau, it shall be regarded as one representative.

(2) [Appointment of the Representative] (a) The appointment of a representative may be made in the international application, or in a subsequent designation or a request under Rule 25.

(b) The appointment of a representative may also be made in a separate communication which may relate to one or more specified international applications or international registrations of the same applicant or holder. The said communication shall be presented to the International Bureau

(i) by the applicant, the holder or the appointed representative, or

(ii) by the Office of the Contracting Party of the holder.

The communication shall be signed by the applicant or the holder, or by the Office through which it was presented.

(3) [Irregular Appointment] (a) Where the address of the purported representative is not in the territory relevant under paragraph (1)(b), the International Bureau shall treat the appointment as if it had not been made and shall inform accordingly the applicant or holder, the purported representative and, if the sender or transmitter is an Office, that Office.

(b) Where the International Bureau considers that the appointment of a representative under paragraph (2) is irregular, it shall notify accordingly the applicant or holder, the purported representative and, if the sender or transmitter is an Office, that Office.

(c) As long as the relevant requirements under paragraphs (1)(b) and (2) are not complied with, the International Bureau shall send all relevant communications to the applicant or holder himself.

(4) [Recording and Notification of Appointment of a Representative; Effective Date of Appointment] (a) Where the International Bureau finds that the appointment of a representative complies with the applicable requirements, it shall record the fact that the applicant or holder has a representative, as well as the name and address of the representative, in the International Register. In such a case, the effective date of the appointment shall be the date on which the International Bureau received the international application, subsequent designation, request or separate communication in which the representative is appointed.

(b) The International Bureau shall notify the recording referred to in subparagraph (a) to both the applicant or holder and the representative. Where the appointment was made in a separate communication presented through an Office, the International Bureau shall also notify the recording to that Office.

(5) [Effect of Appointment of a Representative] (a) Except where these Regulations expressly provide otherwise, the signature of a representative recorded under paragraph (4)(a) shall replace the signature of the applicant or holder.

(b) Except where these Regulations expressly require that an invitation, notification or other communication be addressed to both the applicant or holder and the representative, the International Bureau shall address to the representative recorded under paragraph (4)(a) any invitation, notification or other communication which, in the absence of a representative, would have to be sent to the applicant or holder; any invitation, notification or other communication so addressed to the said representative shall have the same effect as if it had been addressed to the applicant or holder.

(c) Any communication addressed to the International Bureau by the representative recorded under paragraph (4)(a) shall have the same effect as if it had been addressed to the said Bureau by the applicant or holder.

(6) [Cancellation of Recording; Effective Date of Cancellation] (a) Any recording under paragraph (4)(a) shall be cancelled where cancellation is requested in a communication signed by the applicant, holder or representative. The recording shall be cancelled ex officio by the International Bureau where a new representative is appointed or, in case a change in ownership has been recorded, where no representative is appointed by the new holder of the international registration.

(b) Subject to subparagraph (c), the cancellation shall be effective from the date on which the International Bureau receives the corresponding communication.

(i) the date on which the International Bureau receives a communication appointing a new representative;

(ii) the date of the expiry of a period of two months counted from the receipt of the request of the representative that the recording be cancelled.

Until the effective date of the cancellation, all communications referred to in paragraph (5)(b) shall be addressed by the International Bureau to both the applicant or holder and the representative.

(d) The International Bureau shall, upon receipt of a request for cancellation made by the representative, notify accordingly the applicant or holder, and add to the notification copies of all communications sent to the representative, or received by the International Bureau from the representative, during the six months preceding the date of the notification.

(e) The International Bureau shall, once the effective date of the cancellation is known, notify the cancellation and its effective date to the representative whose recording has been cancelled, to the applicant or holder and, where the appointment of the representative had been presented through an Office, to that Office.

Rule 4
Calculation of Time Limits

(1) [Periods Expressed in Years] Any period expressed in years shall expire, in the relevant subsequent year, in the month having the same name and on the day having the same number as the month and the day of the event from which the period starts to run, except that, where the event occurred on February 29 and in the relevant subsequent year February ends on the 28th, the period shall expire on February 28.

(2) [Periods Expressed in Months] Any period expressed in months shall expire, in the relevant subsequent month, on the day which has the same number as the day of the event from which the period starts to run, except that, where the relevant subsequent month has no day with the same number, the period shall expire on the last day of that month.

(3) [Periods Expressed in Days] The calculation of any period expressed in days shall start with the day following the day on which the relevant event occurred and shall expire accordingly.

(4) [Expiry on a Day on Which the International Bureau or an Office Is Not Open to the Public] If a period expires on a day on which the International Bureau or the Office concerned is not open to the public, the period shall, notwithstanding paragraphs (1) to (3), expire on the first subsequent day on which the International Bureau or the Office concerned is open to the public.

(5) [Indication of the Date of Expiry] The International Bureau shall, in all cases in which it communicates a time limit, indicate the date of the expiry, according to paragraphs (1) to (3), of the said time limit.

Rule 5
Irregularities in Postal and Delivery Services

(1) [Communications Sent Through a Postal Service] Failure by an interested party to meet a time limit for a communication addressed to the International Bureau and mailed through a postal service shall be excused if the interested party submits evidence showing, to the satisfaction of the International Bureau,

(i) that the communication was mailed at least five days prior to the expiry of the time limit, or, where the postal service was, on any of the ten days preceding the day of expiry of the time limit, interrupted on account of war, revolution, civil disorder, strike, natural calamity, or other like reason, that the communication was mailed not later than five days after postal service was resumed,

(ii) that the mailing of the communication was registered, or details of the mailing were recorded, by the postal service at the time of mailing, and

(iii) in cases where all classes of mail do not normally reach the International Bureau within two days of mailing, that the communication was mailed by a class of mail which normally reaches the International Bureau within two days of mailing or by airmail.

(2) [Communications Sent Through a Delivery Service] Failure by an interested party to meet a time limit for a communication addressed to the International Bureau and sent through a delivery service shall be excused if the interested party submits evidence showing, to the satisfaction of the International Bureau,

(i) that the communication was sent at least five days prior to the expiry of the time limit, or, where the delivery service was, on any of the ten days preceding the day of expiry of the time limit, interrupted on account of war, revolution, civil disorder, strike, natural calamity, or other like reason, that the communication was sent not later than five days after the delivery service was resumed, and

(ii) that details of the sending of the communication were recorded by the delivery service at the time of sending.

(3) [Limitation on Excuse] Failure to meet a time limit shall be excused under this Rule only if the evidence referred to in paragraph (1) or (2) and the communication or a duplicate thereof are received by the International Bureau not later than six months after the expiry of the time limit.

(4) [International Application and Subsequent Designation] Where the International Bureau receives an international application or a subsequent designation beyond the two-month period referred to in Article 3(4) of the Agreement, in Article 3(4) of the Protocol and in Rule 24(6)(b), and the Office concerned indicates that the late receipt resulted from circumstances referred to in paragraph (1) or (2), paragraph (1) or (2) and paragraph (3) shall apply.

Rule 6
Languages

(1) [International Application] (a) Any international application governed exclusively by the Agreement shall be in French.

(b) Any international application governed exclusively by the Protocol or governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol shall be in English or French according to what is prescribed by the Office of origin, it being understood that the Office of origin may allow applicants to choose between English and French.

(2) [Communications Other Than the International Application] (a) Any communication concerning an international application governed exclusively by the Agreement or the international registration resulting therefrom shall, subject to Rule 17(2)(v) and (3), be in French, except that, where the international registration resulting from an international application governed exclusively by the Agreement is or has been the subject of a subsequent designation under the Protocol, the provisions of subparagraph (b) shall apply.

(b) Any communication concerning an international application governed exclusively by the Protocol or governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol, or the international registration resulting therefrom, shall, subject to Rule 17(2)(v) and (3), be

(i) in English or French where such communication is addressed to the International Bureau by the applicant or holder, or by an Office;

(ii) in the language applicable under Rule 7(2) where the communication consists of the declaration of intention to use the mark annexed to the international application under Rule 9(5)(f) or to the subsequent designation under Rule 24(3)(b)(i);

(iii) in the language of the international application where the communication is a notification addressed by the International Bureau to an Office, unless that Office has notified the International Bureau that all such notifications are to be in English or that all such notifications are to be in French; where the notification addressed by the International Bureau concerns the recording in the International Register of an international registration, the notification shall indicate the language in which the relevant international application was received by the International Bureau;

(iv) in the language of the international application where the communication is a notification addressed by the International Bureau to the applicant or holder, unless that applicant or holder has expressed the wish to receive such notifications in English although the language of the international application is French, or in French although the language of the international application is English.

(3) [Recording and Publication] (a) Where the international application is governed exclusively by the Agreement, the recording in the International Register and the publication in the Gazette of the international registration resulting therefrom and of any data to be both recorded and published under these Regulations in respect of that international registration shall be in French.

(b) Where the international application is governed exclusively by the Protocol or is governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol, the recording in the International Register and the publication in the Gazette of the international registration resulting therefrom and of any data to be both recorded and published under these Regulations in respect of that international registration shall be in English and French. The recording and publication of the international registration shall indicate the language in which the international application was received by the International Bureau.

(c) If a subsequent designation made under the Protocol is the first designation made under the Protocol in respect of a given international registration, the International Bureau shall, together with the publication in the Gazette of that subsequent designation, publish the international registration in English and republish the international registration in French. Thereafter, that subsequent designation shall be recorded in the International Register in English and French. The recording in the International Register and the publication in the Gazette of any data to be both recorded and published under these Regulations in respect of the international registration concerned shall be in English and French.

(4) [Translation] (a) The translations from English into French or from French into English needed for the notifications under paragraph (2)(b)(iii) and (iv), and recordings and publications under paragraph (3)(b) and (c), shall be made by the International Bureau. The applicant or the holder, as the case may be, may annex to the international application, or to a request for the recording of a subsequent designation or of a change, a proposed translation of any text matter contained in the international application or the request. If the proposed translation is not considered by the International Bureau to be correct, it shall be corrected by the International Bureau after having invited the applicant or the holder to make, within one month from the invitation, observations on the proposed corrections.

(b) Notwithstanding subparagraph (a), the International Bureau shall not translate the mark. Where, in accordance with Rule 9(4)(b)(iii) or Rule 24(3)(c), the applicant or the holder gives a translation or translations of the mark, the International Bureau shall not check the correctness of any such translations.

Rule 7
Notification of Certain Special Requirements

(1) [Deleted]

(2) [Intention to Use the Mark] Where a Contracting Party requires, as a Contracting Party designated under the Protocol, a declaration of intention to use the mark, it shall notify that requirement to the Director General. Where that Contracting Party requires the declaration to be signed by the applicant himself and to be made on a separate official form annexed to the international application, the notification shall contain a statement to that effect and shall specify the exact wording of the required declaration. Where the Contracting Party further requires the declaration to be in English even if the international application is in French, or to be in French even if the international application is in English, the notification shall specify the required language.

(3) [Notification] (a) Any notification referred to in paragraph (2) may be made at the time of the deposit by the Contracting Party of its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of, or accession to, the Protocol, and the effective date of the notification shall be the same as the date of entry into force of the Protocol with respect to the Contracting Party having made the notification. The notification may also be made later, in which case the notification shall have effect three months after its receipt by the Director General, or at any later date indicated in the notification, in respect of any international registration whose date is the same as or is later than the effective date of the notification.

(b) Any notification made under paragraph (1), as in force before October 4, 2001¹, or paragraph (2) may be withdrawn at any time. The notice of withdrawal shall be addressed to the Director General. The withdrawal shall have effect upon receipt of the notice of withdrawal by the Director General or at any later date indicated in the notice.

Chapter 2
International Applications

Rule 8
Several Applicants

(1) [Two or More Applicants Applying Exclusively Under the Agreement or Applying Under Both the Agreement and the Protocol] Two or more applicants may jointly file an international application governed exclusively by the Agreement or governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol if the basic registration is jointly owned by them and if the country of origin, as defined in Article 1(3) of the Agreement, is the same for each of them.

(2) [Two or More Applicants Applying Exclusively Under the Protocol] Two or more applicants may jointly file an international application governed exclusively by the Protocol if the basic application was jointly filed by them or the basic registration is jointly owned by them, and if each of them qualifies, in relation to the Contracting Party whose Office is the Office of origin, for filing an international application under Article 2(1) of the Protocol.

Rule 9
Requirements Concerning the International Application

(1) [Presentation] The international application shall be presented to the International Bureau by the Office of origin.

(2) [Form and Signature] (a) The international application shall be presented on the official form in one copy.

(b) The international application shall be signed by the Office of origin and, where the Office of origin so requires, also by the applicant. Where the Office of origin does not require the applicant to sign the international application but allows that the applicant also sign it, the applicant may do so.

(3) [Fees] The prescribed fees applicable to the international application shall be paid as provided for in Rules 10, 34 and 35.

(4) [Contents of the International Application] (a) The international application shall contain or indicate

(i) the name of the applicant, given in accordance with the Administrative Instructions,

(ii) the address of the applicant, given in accordance with the Administrative Instructions,

(iii) the name and address of the representative, if any, given in accordance with the Administrative Instructions,

(iv) where the applicant wishes, under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, to take advantage of the priority of an earlier filing, a declaration claiming the priority of that earlier filing, together with an indication of the name of the Office where such filing was made and of the date and, where available, the number of that filing, and, where the earlier filing relates to less than all the goods and services listed in the international application, the indication of those goods and services to which the earlier filing relates,

(v) a reproduction of the mark that shall fit in the box provided on the official form; that reproduction shall be clear and shall, depending on whether the reproduction in the basic application or the basic registration is in black and white or in color, be in black and white or in color,

(vi) where the applicant wishes that the mark be considered as a mark in standard characters, a declaration to that effect,

(vii) where color is claimed as a distinctive feature of the mark in the basic application or basic registration, or where the applicant wishes to claim color as a distinctive feature of the mark and the mark contained in the basic application or basic registration is in color, an indication that color is claimed and an indication by words of the color or combination of colors claimed and, where the reproduction furnished under item (v) is in black and white, one reproduction of the mark in color,

(viibis) where the mark that is the subject of the basic application or the basic registration consists of a color or a combination of colors as such, an indication to that effect,

(viii) where the basic application or the basic registration relates to a three-dimensional mark, the indication “three-dimensional mark,”

(ix) where the basic application or the basic registration relates to a sound mark, the indication “sound mark,”

(x) where the basic application or the basic registration relates to a collective mark or a certification mark or a guarantee mark, an indication to that effect,

(xi) where the basic application or the basic registration contains a description of the mark by words and the applicant wishes to include the description or the Office of origin requires the inclusion of the description, that same description; where the said description is in a language other than the language of the international application, it shall be given in the language of the international application,

(xii) where the mark consists of or contains matter in characters other than Latin characters or numbers expressed in numerals other than Arabic or Roman numerals, a transliteration of that matter in Latin characters and Arabic numerals; the transliteration into Latin characters shall follow the phonetics of the language of the international application,

(xiii) the names of the goods and services for which the international registration of the mark is sought, grouped in the appropriate classes of the International Classification of Goods and Services, each group preceded by the number of the class and presented in the order of the classes of that Classification; the goods and services shall be indicated in precise terms, preferably using the words appearing in the Alphabetical List of the said Classification; the international application may contain limitations of the list of goods and services in respect of one or more designated Contracting Parties; the limitation in respect of each Contracting Party may be different,

(xiv) the amount of the fees being paid and the method of payment, or instructions to debit the required amount of fees to an account opened with the International Bureau, and the identification of the party effecting the payment or giving the instructions, and

(xv) the designated Contracting Parties.

(b) The international application may also contain,

(i) where the applicant is a natural person, an indication of the State of which the applicant is a national;

(ii) where the applicant is a legal entity, indications concerning the legal nature of that legal entity and the State, and, where applicable, the territorial unit within that State, under the law of which the said legal entity has been organized;

(iii) where the mark consists of or contains a word or words that can be translated, a translation of that word or those words into French if the international application is governed exclusively by the Agreement, or into English or French or both if the international application is governed exclusively by the Protocol or is governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol;

(iv) where the applicant claims color as a distinctive feature of the mark, an indication by words, in respect of each color, of the principal parts of the mark which are in that color;

(v) where the applicant wishes to disclaim protection for any element of the mark, an indication of that fact and of the element or elements for which protection is disclaimed.

(5) [Additional Contents of an International Application] (a) An international application governed exclusively by the Agreement or by both the Agreement and the Protocol shall contain the number and date of the basic registration and shall indicate one of the following:

(i) that the applicant has a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment in the territory of the Contracting State whose Office is the Office of origin, or

(ii) where the applicant has no such establishment in any Contracting State of the Agreement, that he has a domicile in the territory of the State whose Office is the Office of origin, or

(iii) where the applicant has no such establishment or domicile in the territory of any Contracting State of the Agreement, that he is a national of the State whose Office is the Office of origin.

(b) An international application governed exclusively by the Protocol shall contain the number and date of the basic application or basic registration and shall indicate one or more of the following:

(i) where the Contracting Party whose Office is the Office of origin is a State, that the applicant is a national of that State;

(ii) where the Contracting Party whose Office is the Office of origin is an organization, the name of the Member State of that organization of which the applicant is a national;

(iii) that the applicant has a domicile in the territory of the Contracting Party whose Office is the Office of origin;

(iv) that the applicant has a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment in the territory of the Contracting Party whose Office is the Office of origin.

(c) Where the address of the applicant given in accordance with paragraph (4)(a)(ii) is not in the territory of the Contracting Party whose Office is the Office of origin and it has been indicated under subparagraph (a)(i) or (ii) or subparagraph (b)(iii) or (iv) that the applicant has a domicile or an establishment in the territory of that Contracting Party, that domicile or the address of that establishment shall be given in the international application.

(d) The international application shall contain a declaration by the Office of origin certifying

(i) the date on which the Office of origin received or, as provided for in Rule 11(1), is deemed to have received the request by the applicant to present the international application to the International Bureau,

(ii) that the applicant named in the international application is the same as the applicant named in the basic application or the holder named in the basic registration, as the case may be,

(iii) that any indication referred to in paragraph (4)(a)(viibis) to (xi) and appearing in the international application appears also in the basic application or the basic registration, as the case may be,

(iv) that the mark that is the subject matter of the international application is the same as in the basic application or the basic registration, as the case may be,

(v) that, if color is claimed as a distinctive feature of the mark in the basic application or the basic registration, the same claim is included in the international application or that, if color is claimed as a

distinctive feature of the mark in the international application without having being claimed in the basic application or basic registration, the mark in the basic application or basic registration is in fact in the color or combination of colors claimed, and

(vi) that the goods and services indicated in the international application are covered by the list of goods and services appearing in the basic application or basic registration, as the case may be.

(e) Where the international application is based on two or more basic applications or basic registrations, the declaration referred to in subparagraph (d) shall be deemed to apply to all those basic applications or basic registrations.

(f) Where the international application contains the designation of a Contracting Party that has made a notification under Rule 7(2), the international application shall also contain a declaration of intention to use the mark in the territory of that Contracting Party; the declaration shall be considered part of the designation of the Contracting Party requiring it and shall, as required by that Contracting Party,

(i) be signed by the applicant himself and be made on a separate official form annexed to the international application, or

(ii) be included in the international application.

Rule 10
Fees Concerning the International Application

(1) [International Applications Governed Exclusively by the Agreement] An international application governed exclusively by the Agreement shall be subject to the payment of the basic fee, the complementary fee and, where applicable, the supplementary fee, specified in item 1 of the Schedule of Fees. Those fees shall be paid in two instalments of ten years each. For the payment of the second instalment, Rule 30 shall apply.

(2) [International Applications Governed Exclusively by the Protocol] An international application governed exclusively by the Protocol shall be subject to the payment of the basic fee, the complementary fee and/or the individual fee and, where applicable, the supplementary fee, specified or referred to in item 2 of the Schedule of Fees. Those fees shall be paid for ten years.

(3) [International Applications Governed by Both the Agreement and the Protocol] An international application governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol shall be subject to the payment of the basic fee, the complementary fee and, where applicable, the individual fee and the supplementary fee, specified or referred to in item 3 of the Schedule of Fees. As far as the Contracting Parties designated under the Agreement are concerned, paragraph (1) shall apply. As far as the Contracting Parties designated under the Protocol are concerned, paragraph (2) shall apply.

Rule 11
Irregularities Other Than Those Concerning
the Classification of Goods and Services
or Their Indication

(1) [Premature Request to the Office of Origin] (a) Where the Office of origin received a request to present to the International Bureau an international application governed exclusively by the Agreement before the mark which is referred to in that request is registered in the register of the said Office, the said request shall be deemed to have been received by the Office of origin, for the purposes of Article 3(4) of the Agreement, on the date of the registration of the mark in the register of the said Office.

(b) Subject to subparagraph (c), where the Office of origin receives a request to present to the International Bureau an international application governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol before the mark which is referred to in that request is registered in the register of the said Office, the international application shall be treated as an international application governed exclusively by the Protocol, and the Office of origin shall delete the designation of any Contracting Party bound by the Agreement.

(c) Where the request referred to in subparagraph (b) is accompanied by an express request that the international application be treated as an international application governed by both the Agreement and the Protocol once the mark is registered in the register of the Office of origin, the said Office shall not delete the designation of any Contracting Party bound by the Agreement and the request to present the international application shall be deemed to have been received by the said Office, for the purposes of Article 3(4) of the Agreement and Article 3(4) of the Protocol, on the date of the registration of the mark in the register of the said Office.

(2) [Irregularities to Be Remedied by the Applicant] (a) If the International Bureau considers that the international application contains irregularities other than those referred to in paragraphs (3), (4) and (6) and in Rules 12 and 13, it shall notify the applicant of the irregularity and at the same time inform the Office of origin.

(b) Such irregularities may be remedied by the applicant within three months from the date of the notification of the irregularity by the International Bureau. If an irregularity is not remedied within three months from the date of the notification of that irregularity by the International Bureau, the international application shall be considered abandoned and the International Bureau shall notify accordingly and at the same time the applicant and the Office of origin.

(3) [Irregularity to Be Remedied by the Applicant or by the Office of Origin] (a) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), where the fees payable under Rule 10 have been paid to the International Bureau by the Office of origin and the International Bureau considers that the amount of the fees received is less than the amount required, it shall notify at the same time the Office of origin and the applicant. The notification shall specify the missing amount.

(b) The missing amount may be paid by the Office of origin or by the applicant within three months from the date of the notification by the International Bureau. If the missing amount is not paid within three months from the date of the notification of the irregularity by the International Bureau, the international application shall be considered abandoned and the International Bureau shall notify accordingly and at the same time the Office of origin and the applicant.

(4) [Irregularities to Be Remedied by the Office of Origin] (a) If the International Bureau

(i) finds that the international application does not fulfill the requirements of Rule 2 or was not presented on the official form prescribed under Rule 9(2)(a),

(ii) finds that the international application contains any of the irregularities referred to in Rule 15(1),

(iii) considers that the international application contains irregularities relating to the entitlement of the applicant to file an international application,

(iv) considers that the international application contains irregularities relating to the declaration by the Office of origin referred to in Rule 9(5)(d),

(v) [Deleted]

(vi) finds that the international application is not signed by the Office of origin, or

(vii) finds that the international application does not contain the date and number of the basic application or basic registration, as the case may be,

it shall notify the Office of origin and at the same time inform the applicant.

(b) Such irregularities may be remedied by the Office of origin within three months from the date of notification of the irregularity by the International Bureau. If an irregularity is not remedied within three months from the date of the notification of that irregularity by the International Bureau, the international application shall be considered abandoned and the International Bureau shall notify accordingly and at the same time the Office of origin and the applicant.

(5) [Reimbursement of Fees] Where, in accordance with paragraphs (2)(b), (3) or (4)(b), the international application is considered abandoned, the International Bureau shall refund any fees paid in respect of that application, after deduction of an amount corresponding to one-half of the basic fee referred to in items 1.1.1, 2.1.1 or 3.1.1 of the Schedule of Fees, to the party having paid those fees.

(6) [Other Irregularity With Respect to the Designation of a Contracting Party Under the Protocol] (a) Where, in accordance with Article 3(4) of the Protocol, an international application is received by the International Bureau within a period of two months from the date of receipt of that international application by the Office of origin and the International Bureau considers that a declaration of intention to use the mark is required according to Rule 9(5)(f) but is missing or does not comply with the applicable requirements, the International Bureau shall promptly notify accordingly and at the same time the applicant and the Office of origin.

(b) The declaration of intention to use the mark shall be deemed to have been received by the International Bureau together with the international application if the missing or corrected declaration is received by the International Bureau within the period of two months referred to in subparagraph (a).

(c) The international application shall be deemed not to contain the designation of the Contracting Party for which a declaration of intention to use the mark is required if the missing or corrected declaration is received after the period of two months referred to in subparagraph (b). The International Bureau shall notify accordingly and at the same time the applicant and the Office of origin, reimburse any designation fee already paid in respect of that Contracting Party and indicate that the designation of the said Contracting Party may be effected as a subsequent designation under Rule 24, provided that such designation is accompanied by the required declaration.

(7) [International Application Not Considered as Such] If the international application is presented direct to the International Bureau by the applicant or does not comply with the requirement applicable under Rule 6(1), the international application shall not be considered as such and shall be returned to the sender.

Rule 12
Irregularities With Respect to the
Classification of Goods and Services

(1) [Proposal for Classification] (a) If the International Bureau considers that the requirements of Rule 9(4)(a)(xiii) are not complied with, it shall make a proposal of its own for the classification and grouping and shall send a notification of its proposal to the Office of origin and at the same time inform the applicant.

(b) The notification of the proposal shall also state the amount, if any, of the fees due as a consequence of the proposed classification and grouping.

(2) [Opinion Differing From the Proposal] The Office of origin may communicate to the International Bureau an opinion on the proposed classification and grouping within three months from the date of the notification of the proposal.

(3) [Reminder of the Proposal] If, within two months from the date of the notification referred to in paragraph (1)(a), the Office of origin has not communicated an opinion on the proposed classification and grouping, the International Bureau shall send to the Office of origin and to the applicant a communication reiterating the proposal. The sending of such a communication shall not affect the three-month period referred to in paragraph (2).

(4) [Withdrawal of Proposal] If, in the light of the opinion communicated under paragraph (2), the International Bureau withdraws its proposal, it shall notify the Office of origin accordingly and at the same time inform the applicant.

(5) [Modification of Proposal] If, in the light of the opinion communicated under paragraph (2), the International Bureau modifies its proposal, it shall notify the Office of origin and at the same time inform the applicant of such modification and of any consequent changes in the amount indicated under paragraph (1)(b).

(6) [Confirmation of Proposal] If, notwithstanding the opinion referred to in paragraph (2), the International Bureau confirms its proposal, it shall notify the Office of origin accordingly and at the same time inform the applicant.

(7) [Fees] (a) If no opinion has been communicated to the International Bureau under paragraph (2), the amount referred to in paragraph (1)(b) shall be payable within four months from the date of the notification referred to in paragraph (1)(a), failing which the international application shall be considered abandoned and the International Bureau shall notify the Office of origin accordingly and at the same time inform the applicant.

(b) If an opinion has been communicated to the International Bureau under paragraph (2), the amount referred to in paragraph (1)(b) or, where applicable, paragraph (5) shall be payable within three months from the date of the communication by the International Bureau of the modification or confirmation of its proposal under paragraph (5) or (6), as the case may be, failing which the international application shall be considered abandoned and the International Bureau shall notify the Office of origin accordingly and at the same time inform the applicant.

(c) If an opinion has been communicated to the International Bureau under paragraph (2) and if, in the light of that opinion, the International Bureau withdraws its proposal in accordance with paragraph (4), the amount referred to in paragraph (1)(b) shall not be due.

(8) [Reimbursement of Fees] Where, in accordance with paragraph (7), the international application is considered abandoned, the International Bureau shall refund any fees paid in respect of that application, after deduction of an amount corresponding to one-half of the basic fee referred to in items 1.1.1, 2.1.1 or 3.1.1 of the Schedule of Fees, to the party having paid those fees.

(9) [Classification in the Registration] Subject to the conformity of the international application with the other applicable requirements, the mark shall be registered with the classification and grouping that the International Bureau considers to be correct.

Rule 13
Irregularities With Respect to the
Indication of Goods and Services

(1) [Communication of Irregularity by the International Bureau to the Office of Origin] If the International Bureau considers that any of the goods and services is indicated in the international application by a term that is too vague for the purposes of classification or is incomprehensible or is linguistically incorrect, it shall notify the Office of origin accordingly and at the same time inform the applicant. In the same notification, the International Bureau may suggest a substitute term, or the deletion of the term.

(2) [Time Allowed to Remedy Irregularity] (a) The Office of origin may make a proposal for remedying the irregularity within three months from the date of the notification referred to in paragraph (1).

(b) If no proposal acceptable to the International Bureau for remedying the irregularity is made within the period indicated in subparagraph (a), the International Bureau shall include in the international registration the term as appearing in the international application, provided that the Office of origin has specified the class in which such term should be classified; the international registration shall contain an indication to the effect that, in the opinion of the International Bureau, the specified term

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Common Regulations under the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and the Protocol Relating to that Agreement