How to apply for international trademark registration

Practical information on how to apply for a trademark in several countries by filing an international application via the Madrid e-Filing service.

The Norwegian Industrial Property Office (NIPO) will validate the application you have filed to WIPO before it is further processed and distributed to the countries you have selected. Each individual country will then consider whether the registration should be protected in that country.

More information on the WIPO website

  1. You can log in to Madrid e-Filing via this link: https://efiling.madrid.wipo.int/iwa 
    You can also create an account on this page.
      
  2. As an applicant, you can easily use the information from your basic application to create the international application using the Madrid e-filing platform. Including the list of goods and services.
     
  3. NIPO will validate your application in the service once it has been sent, before it is further processed by WIPO. If we find deficiencies in your application, you will be notified via the service and given the opportunity to correct the deficiencies within a given deadline before it is processed further.
     
  4. This is an electronic application service in which all communication between the applicant, NIPO and WIPO is carried out in the Madrid e-Filing platform.
     
  5. WIPO will register the trademark in the international system. You will receive a registration certificate with an international registration number. This certificate does not provide protection in itself. At this stage the trademark has only been registered at WIPO and has not gained protection. Trademark protection is decided upon and granted by each individual designated country.
     
  6. The application is processed in each of the countries you have chosen. The authorities will send you a letter stating that the trademark has either been deemed valid or refused registration in their country. A letter of refusal will contain information about the opportunity you have to make changes to the application, and a time limit within which to do so. Countries may have different practices regarding what they accept in the specification of goods and services.

Deadline for applying with priority

If you have filed an application in Norway and are considering applying in other countries, it is to your advantage if you apply abroad within 6 months after the date when you filed the application in Norway.
Read more about the deadline for applying with priority

Payment of international fees

You must pay all fees, including the Norwegian Industrial Property Office's forwarding charge, to WIPO in Swiss francs. You will be given the amount in the electronic application.

You will not receive an invoice for the fees, but should pay the amount directly to the WIPO account. The account number and other payment information can be found on the MM2 form, or on the WIPO website.
You will find information on payment on the WIPO website.

To make sure that WIPO is able to link the incoming payment to the correct application, it is important to enter sufficient information together with the payment. State which form the payment applies to (MM2), the WIPO reference number and the application or registration number of the Norwegian application or registration.

If WIPO has not received the fee when the processing of the application begins, it will send a deficiency letter. You will be given a time limit of three months in which to pay, and processing of the application will stop in the meantime. If you wish to avoid delays, you should pay the fees at the latest when you receive notification that the NIPO has forwarded your application to WIPO.
See also "Warning against misleading invoices" 

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