Many readers of this blog are frequent users of the Madrid Protocol system. Some probably qualify as “power users” of the Madrid Protocol system. What some might not be aware of, however, is that WIPO provides what is called its Guide to the Madrid System. You can see the book’s front cover at right. This is a 260-page book, and the big news is that this book just got re-released today in its 2022 version.
This is WIPO publication number 455. The new Guide has four chapters:
- Chapter 1 covers the benefits of the Madrid System and procedural matters such as languages accepted, communication methods and time limits.
- Chapter 2 dives deeper into filing applications and managing registrations as well as communications that you may receive from the Offices of designated Madrid System members.
- Chapter 3 looks at the roles of IP Offices, the certification of international applications and the decisions that Offices may need to issue.
- Chapter 4 is for countries and intergovernmental organizations who are interested in joining the Madrid System.
You might wonder where you can purchase this extremely helpful 260-page book. The answer, so far as I know, is “you can’t”. As far as I know, the only option is to download the book as a PDF (download URL). It is then up to you to print out portions of the book, or the entire book, yourself. Alternatively, you can simply view the book using a PDF viewer.
One of the interesting things about this book is that it is filled with hyperlinks. An average page has twenty hyperlinks, some of which are links to other pages of the book, and others of which are links to various resources on the WIPO web site. If you were to print out the book on paper, you would find that you can’t click on the hyperlinks. So in a way, maybe it is better not to to print out the book, at least not in its entirety.