DOHA: In cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently organized a training program on the Madrid System for the International Registration of Trademarks, targeting private sector institutions and small and medium-sized enterprises in the country, with the aim of enhancing their awareness of the advantages of the Madrid Protocol and the mechanisms for its use.
A statement issued by the ministry indicated that this program comes within the framework of the ministry's keenness to enhance the protection of intellectual property rights, and to educate current and potential users of the system on how to submit international registration applications, in addition to highlighting the legal protection provided by the Madrid Protocol.
The program covered several main topics, including: defining the concepts of intellectual property and the importance of trademarks and procedures for international registration of trademarks, starting from submitting the application, examining it and approving it by the office of origin, and up to the examination procedures at WIPO. The program also addressed common errors in international applications, and how to respond to correction notices from the office of origin and WIPO via the e-Filing system.
The training program included an explanation of the legal protection for the parties concerned, including the effects of international registration, the refusal period, correspondence regarding the protection status, substitution and transfer.
The program also addressed topics including subsequent appointment, renewal, requests for cancellation and registrations, and the use of the Madrid System's electronic tools and services, in addition to a review of the experience of guests from outside the country in using the Madrid Protocol, where they provided practical advice to support trademark owners wishing to benefit from the system.
