Indonesia becomes the 100th member of the Madrid Protocol

On October 2, 2017, Indonesia acceded to the Madrid protocol, making it the 100th country and 8th member of the ASEAN to join the Madrid Union.

This news was announced during the 57th WIPO General Assembly in Geneva, after Indonesia’s accession being in preparation for several years. In 2016, Indonesia had issued Law no. 20 of 2016 on Trademarks and Geographical Indications which included provisions on international trademark applications.

The Madrid Protocol will come into effect for Indonesia on January 2, 2018, giving the Indonesian Government three months to issue an implementing regulation and prepare for the acceptance of international trademark applications under the protocol.

From January 2, 2018, brand owners based in Indonesia can file a single international application under the Madrid Protocol to protect their marks in the territories of all other member nations of the Protocol. Conversely, brand owners in all other member nations of the Protocol shall be able to designate Indonesia in their international applications.

This comes as very welcome news to brand owners and enterprises around the world, as Indonesia strives to become a leader in the global marketplace and is one of the top-five fastest growing G-20 economies.

With this latest accession, the Madrid Protocol is now the fifth WIPO administered treaty, alongside the WIPO Convention, Paris Convention, Berne Convention and the PCT to have 100 or more contracting parties.