Algeria has acceded to the Madrid Protocol, which means that all members of the Madrid System governing the international registration of trade marks are now party to the same treaty. The Madrid Protocol will enter into force in Algeria on 31st October 2015. The practical effect is that from 31st October 2015 it will be possible for all users of the Madrid System to designate any of the 95 contracting parties when making an international application. Until this point, Madrid members were party either to the Madrid Protocol or to the older Madrid Agreement, or to both. There were variations in the rules governing applications made under the different treaties and it was not possible to “mix and match”, i.e. an applicant from a Protocol member territory could not designate an Agreement-only member territory, and vice versa. The UK and European Union have only ever been party to the Protocol. With the accession of Algeria to the Protocol, all Madrid applications will now be governed by the same rules. For brand owners with multi-national business interests, the Madrid Protocol offers a cost-effective and administratively-efficient alternative to making lots of separate applications with individual national offices. Instead, an international application “designating” other member territories leads to a bundle of national rights equivalent to national filings, which can be subsequently managed more simply as many changes and processes (e.g. renewals) can be effected centrally. In light of this development, existing international applicants/registrants may wish to consider “subsequently designating” Algeria, and this territory now also features in prospective applicants’ choice of territories when devising a filing program.
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