On February 24, 2021 Pakistan became the 108th member of the Madrid System after depositing its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol through WIPO’s Director General, Darren Tang. As of May 24, 2021 Pakistan will officially be a part of the Protocol along with 123 other territories which include a majority of EU countries as well. The impact of being a party to the Madrid System will be taken as welcome news for trademark owners within Pakistan as well as outside of Pakistan who wish to obtain and maintain protection in multiple markets. Being a contracting party to this agreement Pakistani trade mark owners who wish to obtain protection of their mark internationally, can take advantage of the streamlined trade mark registration process of the Madrid system. As outlined by WIPO, the process aims to deliver convenience and global recognition to brand owners while being cost effective. Although at this time there has been no change in the current trademarks law in Pakistan, however any amendments that need to be made will have to be accepted prior to May 24, 2021 to avoid any confusion or delay to brand owners seeking to gain advantage of this System.
