International Trademark Filing
Protect your brand abroad through the Madrid Protocol or direct national filings.
Protecting a brand outside India means filing in each country where you need rights, because trademark protection is territorial. There are two routes — filing directly in each country, or filing a single international application under the Madrid Protocol that designates several at once.
Which route is cheaper depends on how many countries you need and which ones. Madrid is efficient across several jurisdictions; direct filing is often better for one or two, or where a designated country is likely to raise objections.
Charges on enquiry
This service is quoted case by case, because the work depends on your documents, the authority involved and the timeline you need. Send us a short note and we will confirm the professional charges and the government fees in writing before starting.
How the Madrid Protocol works
You file one application through the Indian registry, in one language, paying one set of fees. It designates the member countries where you want protection, and each then examines the mark under its own law.
It is an administrative convenience rather than a single global trademark. Each designated country can refuse the mark on its own grounds, and where it does you will need local counsel in that country to respond.
The central attack risk
An international registration depends on the Indian application or registration it is based on for its first five years. If that basic mark is refused, withdrawn or successfully cancelled during that period, the international registration falls with it in every designated country.
This is known as central attack. It is the main argument for direct national filings where the Indian mark is vulnerable — for instance where it is newly filed and faces a likely objection.
Choosing where to file
- Countries where you actually sell, or have a concrete plan to sell
- Countries where your goods are manufactured, to prevent local misappropriation
- Markets known for trademark squatting, where early filing is protective
- Countries whose customs authorities can act on registered rights against counterfeits
- Filing everywhere is rarely justified; unused registrations become vulnerable to cancellation
The six-month priority window
An application filed abroad within six months of your Indian filing can claim the Indian filing date as its priority date. That can be decisive where someone else files a similar mark in the interval.
Missing the window does not prevent filing, but it forfeits the earlier date. If international expansion is contemplated at all, the decision is best taken within those six months.
How we handle it
- 1 Choosing the route We compare Madrid against direct filing on cost and risk for your specific list of countries.
- 2 Assessing the basic mark The Indian mark is reviewed for vulnerability, since central attack would bring down the whole international registration.
- 3 Preparing the application The international application is prepared with the designations and the specification aligned to the basic mark.
- 4 Filing through the Indian registry The application is certified by the Indian office and forwarded to the International Bureau.
- 5 National examination Each designated country examines the mark. We coordinate local counsel where a refusal must be answered.
- 6 Protection confirmed Where no refusal is issued within the applicable period, protection takes effect in that country.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single worldwide trademark?
No. The Madrid Protocol is an administrative route to file in several countries at once, but each examines the mark under its own law and can refuse it.
What is central attack?
For five years the international registration depends on the Indian basic mark. If that is refused, withdrawn or cancelled, the international registration falls in every designated country.
Should I use Madrid or file directly?
Madrid is usually cheaper across several countries. Direct filing is often better for one or two, or where the Indian basic mark is vulnerable, or where a target country is not a Madrid member.
How long do I have to claim priority?
Six months from the Indian filing date. Filing abroad within that window secures the earlier date, which can be decisive if someone else files in the interval.
Should we register everywhere?
No. Registrations in countries where the mark is not used become vulnerable to cancellation for non-use, and the cost is wasted. File where you sell, manufacture, or face a real squatting risk.
What is not included. Government fees, statutory charges, stamp duty, court and registry fees, digital signature costs and any third-party professional charges are separate and payable at actuals. GST applies on professional fees where indicated. Prices shown are indicative and may change without notice; we confirm the total in writing before any work begins — see our terms on pricing.
Talk to us about International Trademark Filing
Share your requirement and our team will confirm the documents needed, the exact charges and a realistic timeline — usually the same working day.
- Expert document checking before submission
- Regular status updates on WhatsApp
- Transparent professional charges
- Assistance in Marathi & English
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