Rajya Sabha Passed Trade Marks Bill

The Rajya Sabha(The upper house in Indian Parliament) on 10 August 2010 passed the Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill, 2009. The Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill, 2009 permits any enterprise or a person to get registration or trade mark in any of the 85 member nations of the Madrid Protocol by way of a single application. The bill offers a simplified registration process, facilitating Indian and foreign enterprises to secure simultaneous protection of trademarks in all the member countries of Madrid protocol. The Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill was passed by Lok Sabha in December 2009. Now the bill will be sent to the President for his assent before it becomes an act.

The Trade Marks(amendment) Bill,2009 has been amended to bring Indian Trade mark into line with provisions of the Madrid Protocol. Presently, an Indian applicant has to approach different countries in different languages with separate fee to get registration or trade mark.

Madrid Protocol is an international treaty that allows a trademark owner to seek registration in any of the countries that have joined the Madrid Protocol. The International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, in Geneva, Switzerland administers the international registration system.