The Madrid System: Overview of Changes

19 january 2026

Interesting

The World Intellectual Property Organization presented a brief overview of the main changes to the Madrid International Trademark Registration System for 2025, including:

• updating the eMadrid platform with an integrated work environment that allows applicants and rights holders to efficiently manage international registrations, track application status, and perform all basic operations online in a single interface;
• strengthening cybersecurity. From November 2025, it will be mandatory for owners or their representatives to have an officially registered email address;
• implementation of artificial intelligence-based solutions to speed up application processing, improve the quality of checks, and increase the accuracy of data in the registry.

Legal and procedural changes

In 2025, amendments were made to the Madrid Protocol Instructions: processes became more transparent, efficient, and consistent with national systems.

Extension of the deadline for responding to preliminary refusals. Now, authorities that send preliminary refusal notices must give owners at least two months to respond.

Acceptance of partial replacements by offices: it is sufficient to make a replacement entry for those goods and/or services in case of overlapping goods/services in registrations.

Other innovations of the Madrid system can be found via the link.

Based on WIPO materials

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