Do you export your product overseas?
Are you looking at promoting or franchising your business services internationally?
It is one thing to protect your intellectual property assets in Australia, but if you export products or promote your services internationally, you should investigate international trademark registration. And the good news is that we can assist you!
To provide you with an accurate guide of the steps, fees and time frames involved please let us know your specific countries of interest. Unfortunately, you can not simply file a “world wide trademark” application, so the specific countries are required in order to provide you with accurate trademark information for those countries.
In most countries you can claim ‘priority’ based on your Australian trademark application. Essentially, this means that if you file overseas within six months of filing your Australian application you will be given priority over national applications filed during the six months after your Australian trademark application. This six month time frame is strict and priority will not apply, even if your overseas application is filed six months and one day after your Australian trademark application. We suggest aiming for overseas filing within approximately five months of the Australian filing date if you intend to rely on this priority.
Australia is a member of the Madrid Protocol.
This is basically an agreement between more than eighty countries that essentially allows us to file a single application with the Australian government office. We then simply designate which of the other member countries you wish to register in. It is a simplified and cost effective method of registration overseas. If a country is not a member to the Protocol, we must file individually with that country, which often means employing the services of an trademark agent or trademark attorney in that country. When filing under the Madrid Protocol, Australian Trademarks can remain your agents.