# International trademark registration for US brands > International trademark registration for US brands, through the Madrid Protocol or direct filings in the EU, UK, China and beyond. Fees quoted by country. Page: https://arapackelaw.com/international-trademarks/ Title: International Trademark Registration | Madrid Protocol | RLG Breadcrumb: [Home](https://arapackelaw.com/) / [Trademarks](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/) / [International trademarks](https://arapackelaw.com/international-trademarks/) Trademark rights stop at the border. We protect your brand abroad through the Madrid Protocol, one application covering up to 133 countries, or by filing country by country where that fits better. - Madrid Protocol filings - EU, UK, China and 130+ countries - Fees quoted by country ## For brands crossing a border. Most US companies think about foreign trademarks too late, after a distributor, a manufacturer or a squatter has already filed their name abroad. In most of the world, the first to file wins. - **Selling in new markets** Launching in Europe, the UK, Canada, Asia or Latin America, online or through distributors. - **Manufacturing overseas** Production in China or elsewhere, where a factory or partner could register your brand first. - **Selling on global marketplaces** Brand protection programs on marketplaces often rely on a registration in the market you sell in. - **Stopping trademark squatters** Filing before someone else registers your name abroad and asks you to buy it back. ## What the Madrid Protocol can and can't do. The Madrid System, run by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), has 117 members covering 133 countries. One international application, based on your US filing, reaches any of them you choose. ### Through Madrid you can - **File once for many countries** One application in English and one set of fees, paid in Swiss francs. - **Reach the major markets** The EU (all 27 member states in one designation), the UK, China, Canada, Mexico, India, Japan and more. - **Add countries later** A subsequent designation extends the same registration to new markets as you grow. - **Manage it centrally** Renew every 10 years, and record changes of owner or address, in one place. ### Madrid can't - **Cover countries outside the system** Taiwan, Hong Kong, Argentina, South Africa and Peru, among others, need national filings. - **Claim more than your US filing** The goods and services can be narrower than your US application or registration, never broader. - **Survive a failed US filing** For five years, if your US mark falls, the international registration falls with it. - **Give one worldwide decision** Each country examines the mark under its own law, and can refuse it. File abroad within six months of your US filing and you can claim the US date as your priority date in other Paris Convention countries, including through Madrid. ## How the Madrid Protocol works for a US brand. A Madrid filing starts from your US application or registration, the basic mark, and runs through WIPO to each country you designate. 1. **Your US basic mark.** A pending US application or a US registration for the same mark, owned by the same applicant. 2. **The international application.** Since October 1, 2026, international applications based on a US mark are filed in WIPO's Madrid e-Filing system instead of through the USPTO's own forms. You choose the countries and list the goods and services. 3. **USPTO certification.** The USPTO still certifies that the international application matches your US filing, for $100 per class, now paid to WIPO with the other fees. 4. **WIPO examination and registration.** WIPO checks the formalities, records the international registration and notifies each designated country. 5. **Each country examines it.** Every office applies its own law, and has 12 months, or 18 in countries that have declared the longer period, to refuse protection. A refusal is answered through local counsel in that country. 6. **Protection granted.** Where there is no refusal, or once it is overcome, the mark is protected in that country as if it had been filed there directly. The USPTO's own guidance is clear that Madrid is optional. You can always file directly in individual countries, and sometimes that is the better choice. Protecting the product itself abroad works differently, through [PCT patents](https://arapackelaw.com/patents/pct-patents/). ## Madrid Protocol vs filing directly in each country. Madrid is usually simpler, and often cheaper, when you want several member countries. Direct national filings are usually better when the US mark is still vulnerable, the country is not a member, or the goods need wording a local office will accept. *The Madrid Protocol and direct national trademark filings compared* | | Madrid Protocol | Direct national filing | | --- | --- | --- | | How you file | One international application through WIPO | A separate application in each country, usually through local counsel | | Countries | Any of the 133 countries in the system | Any country, including those outside Madrid | | Tie to your US mark | Depends on it for 5 years | Independent from day one | | Goods and services | Limited to your US filing's scope | Written for each country's rules | | Fees | One WIPO payment in Swiss francs, plus each country's fee | Each office's fee, plus local counsel in each country | | Fits when | Several member countries, a solid US mark, central management | Non-member countries, a US mark at risk, or one key market | ### The EU and the UK after Brexit One EU trade mark covers all 27 EU member states, through a Madrid designation or a direct filing with the EU Intellectual Property Office. Since January 1, 2021, it no longer covers the United Kingdom. The UK needs its own designation or a filing with the UK Intellectual Property Office, where registration costs at least £205 and protects the UK and the Isle of Man. ### China and other first-to-file countries In China, the first to file generally owns the mark, whoever used it first. The US Commerce Department warns that this lets bad-faith applicants register a foreign brand and then hold it hostage. If you manufacture or sell in China, file early, in Chinese characters as well as English where it makes sense. A Chinese registration does not cover Hong Kong or Macao, which need their own filings. ### Countries outside the Madrid System Taiwan, Hong Kong, Argentina, South Africa and Peru are among the markets Madrid does not reach. Each needs a national application, filed through local counsel. ## Pick the countries, then the route. We start with where your brand will be sold, made and copied over the next few years, then choose the route country by country. We handle the international application from start to finish, and coordinate with trusted local counsel abroad when a country's office raises a refusal. ### Search and analysis - **Database searches.** Trademark registers in each target market, for conflicting marks. - **Registrability.** How strong the mark will be in each country, including translations and local meanings. - **A recommendation.** Which countries, which route and which classes, with the official fees. ### Filing and registration - **The application.** Prepared and filed through Madrid e-Filing or national offices. - **Country selection.** Guidance on where protection is worth the fee. - **Refusals.** Office actions abroad, answered with local counsel. ### After registration - **Monitoring and enforcement.** Watching registers and marketplaces for conflicting filings, and cease and desist letters when someone infringes. - **Renewals and maintenance.** Tracking 10-year renewals and each country's use requirements. - **Licensing and assignments.** Licenses and transfers of foreign rights, recorded with the right offices. It all starts from a strong US mark. If yours is not filed yet, start with [trademark registration](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/). For a dispute abroad, see [trademark litigation](https://arapackelaw.com/ip-litigation/trademark-litigation/). ## The five-year dependency, and central attack. For five years from the international registration date, your Madrid registration depends on your US basic mark. If the US application is refused, or the US registration is cancelled, in that period, protection falls in every designated country at once. A competitor can use that dependency on purpose, by attacking the US mark to knock out the whole international registration. That is called central attack. - **Transformation.** If the international registration is cancelled this way, you can file national applications in the designated countries within three months and keep the original international registration date. - **Lower the risk first.** A clearance search and a well-drafted US application make the basic mark harder to attack. If the US mark is likely to draw a refusal, direct national filings may be safer. - **After five years.** The international registration becomes independent of the US mark. ## How much does an international trademark cost? It depends on the countries and the number of classes. A Madrid filing is one payment to WIPO made up of several fees, and our fee is quoted for the countries you choose. *Madrid Protocol fees for a US applicant* | Fee | Amount | Paid to | | --- | --- | --- | | **WIPO basic fee** | CHF 653, or CHF 903 if the mark is in color | WIPO | | **Country fees** | Set by each designated country, often per class | WIPO, for each country | | **Supplementary and complementary fees** | CHF 100 each, for some countries and for classes beyond three | WIPO | | **USPTO certification** | $100 per class, or $150 per class if based on more than one US filing | WIPO, for the USPTO | | **Answering a refusal** | Local counsel fees in that country, if an office objects | Local counsel | WIPO's [Madrid fee calculator](https://madrid.wipo.int/feecalcapp/) shows the official fees for any set of countries. More on [international trademarking](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/international-trademarking/) and [US trademark filing costs](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/trademark-filing-cost/). ## Your filing fee, quoted by country. International filings are priced by the countries and classes you choose. We quote our fee, and list the official fees, before any work begins. ### Start here, Free strategy call **Free** flat fee. No obligation. Before you launch abroad. - Where you sell, make and expect copies - Madrid, national filings or both - A quote for the countries you choose Free, no obligation. ### Then, Clearance abroad **Quoted** flat fee. By country. Before you file. - Register searches in your target markets - Translations and local meanings checked - A country-by-country recommendation Not covered by the guarantee. ### Then, International filing **Quoted** flat fee. By country and class. Within 6 months of your US filing, ideally. - Madrid application or national filings - Country and class selection - Refusals answered with local counsel Not covered by the guarantee. ## From US filing to protection abroad. What happens at each step and who does the work. Timing shown is typical, never a promised date. 1. **Strategy call** (Day one). Free. Markets, timing and route. 2. **US basic mark** (First). Your US application or registration in place. 3. **Clearance abroad** (Our team). Searches in your target countries. 4. **International filing** (Within 6 months). Madrid e-Filing or national offices. 5. **Certification and WIPO** (WIPO). USPTO certifies, WIPO registers and notifies. 6. **Country examination** (12 to 18 months). Each office has 12 or 18 months to object. 7. **Protected abroad**. Renewed every 10 years through WIPO. ## Questions about international trademarks. ### Is there an international trademark that covers the whole world? No. Trademark rights are national or regional. The Madrid Protocol lets you apply for protection in up to 133 countries with one application, but each country still decides whether to protect the mark. ### How do I register my trademark internationally? Most US brands file through the Madrid Protocol, an international application based on their US application or registration, designating the countries they want. The alternative is to file directly with each country's trademark office, which is necessary for countries outside the Madrid System. ### Which countries are covered by the Madrid Protocol? The Madrid System has 117 members covering 133 countries, including the EU, the UK, China, Japan, India, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Australia. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Argentina, South Africa and Peru are among the markets it does not cover. ### How much does it cost to trademark a name internationally? It depends on the countries and classes. A Madrid filing has a WIPO basic fee of CHF 653, or CHF 903 for a color mark, plus a fee for each designated country and a USPTO certification fee of $100 per class. Our fee is quoted by country before any work begins. ### How long does international trademark registration take? Designated countries have 12 months, or 18 in countries that have declared the longer period, to refuse protection. Where there is no refusal, protection follows. Refusals add time, and are answered through local counsel. ### Do I need a US trademark before filing through Madrid? You need a US application or registration for the same mark, owned by you. The international application can be filed while the US application is still pending, and claim its filing date if filed within six months. ### Does an EU trademark cover the UK? No, not since January 1, 2021. The UK needs its own registration, through a separate Madrid designation or a filing with the UK Intellectual Property Office. ### Should I register my trademark in China? If you manufacture, source or sell there, usually yes, and early. China follows a first-to-file system, so someone else can register your brand before you do. A Chinese registration does not cover Hong Kong or Macao. ### What happens to my international registration if my US application is refused? For five years from the international registration date, it depends on the US basic mark. If the US mark is refused or cancelled in that time, the international registration is cancelled too, but you can transform it into national applications within three months and keep the original date. ### Can I add countries later? Yes. A subsequent designation extends an existing international registration to more Madrid countries, for that country's fee, without starting over. ### How do I protect my product abroad, not just the brand? Trademarks protect the name and logo. The invention itself is protected abroad with patents, usually starting with a PCT application within 12 months of your first US patent filing. ## Your attorneys - [Andrew Rapacke](https://arapackelaw.com/learn-more/the-team/andrew-rapacke/), Managing Partner, Registered Patent Attorney. Former Naval Engineering Officer. M.S. in electrical and electronics engineering. - [Casey Goldenberg](https://arapackelaw.com/team/casey-goldenberg/), Attorney, Trademarks and Patent Prosecution. Trademarks and patent prosecution, from a scientific background. - [Phillip Horton](https://arapackelaw.com/team/phillip-horton/), Associate Attorney, Trademarks and IP Litigation. Trademark clearance, prosecution and TTAB matters, plus IP litigation. Meet the team at https://arapackelaw.com/learn-more/the-team/ ## More in Trademarks - [Trademarks](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/) - [Trademark registration](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/) - [Trademark office actions](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/trademark-office-actions/) - [TTAB opposition and cancellation](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/trademarks-opposition-cancellation/) ## Go deeper on protecting your brand. - [International Trademarking: How to Protect Your Brand Outside of the United States](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/international-trademarking/) - [State Trademark vs Federal: What’s The Difference and Which Is Right for You?](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/state-vs-federal-trademarks/) - [New USPTO Fee Changes Just Raised Your Trademark Filing Cost—Here’s What to Expect](https://arapackelaw.com/trademarks/trademark-filing-cost/) [All trademark articles](https://arapackelaw.com/category/trademarks/) ## Next steps - [Book a free strategy call](https://arapackelaw.com/contact-us/) with a registered patent attorney, or call (954) 951-0154 - [Take the Intelligent IP Quiz](https://arapackelaw.com/intelligent-ip-quiz/) to see what to protect first - [The RLG Guarantee](https://arapackelaw.com/rlg-guarantee/), the refund promise on four services General information, not legal advice.