Filing an International Trademark via the Madrid Protocol
By Casey Scott McKay ·
A field-by-field walkthrough of an international trademark filing under the Madrid Protocol, from the moment you pull the basic U.S. filing to the day the last grant of protection lands. It covers the certification match audit that decides whether the USPTO will forward the application at all, how to choose among multiple basic filings, the statement of entitlement and who actually qualifies, the reproduction and color rules that must mirror the basic drawing, the goods-and-services ceiling and per-country limitations, and the priority box that cannot be added later. It then follows the file through USPTO certification, the two-month rule that fixes the international registration date, the International Bureau's irregularity notices and their three-month clocks, and the twelve- and eighteen-month provisional refusal windows in each designated office. Model language for a statement of entitlement, a limitation, and a foreign-associate instruction letter is included, with an all-in operational budget and a docketing table. It closes with transformation mechanics for the day the basic mark falls.
IP and Technology > Trademarks | Guide | Published 15 January 2026 - Updated 9 July 2026 | Casey Scott McKay - marksy.us
Summary. This is a field-by-field walkthrough of an international trademark filing under the Madrid Protocol, from the moment you pull the basic U.S. filing to the day the last grant of protection lands. It covers the certification match audit that decides whether the USPTO will forward the application at all, how to choose among multiple basic filings, the statement of entitlement and who actually qualifies, the reproduction and color rules that must mirror the basic drawing, the goods-and-services ceiling and per-country limitations, and the priority box that cannot be added later. It then follows the file through USPTO certification, the two-month rule that fixes the international registration date, the International Bureau's irregularity notices and their three-month clocks, and the twelve- and eighteen-month provisional refusal windows in each designated office. Model language for a statement of entitlement, a limitation, and a foreign-associate instruction letter is included, with an all-in operational budget and a docketing table. It closes with transformation mechanics for the day the basic mark falls.
Keywords: madrid protocol filing · international application · basic application · basic registration · statement of entitlement · uspto certification · teasi · notice of irregularity · international bureau · wipo gazette · provisional refusal response · grant of protection · reproduction of the mark · per-country limitation · subsequent designation · transformation · international registration renewal · madrid monitor · priority claim · mm2 form
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