Jordan Times
Friday, April 23, 2004
Jordan will join WIPO agreement for international registration of trademarks before end of 2004
By Rami Abdelrahman
AMMAN — The Kingdom will join a World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
agreement for international registration of trademarks before the end of 2004, a
senior government official said Wednesday.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Mohammad Halaiqa said a
Royal Decree was issued concerning joining the Madrid Agreement Protocol.
The agreement secures protection for trademarks applicable to goods or services,
registered in Jordan as the country of origin, by filing them at the
International Bureau of Intellectual Property through an intermediary located in
Jordan.
Under this agreement, Jordan will also register trademarks of other member
countries for a fee.
“Joining this agreement will definitely make Jordan a more desired country (in
terms of trade),” Halaiqa told reporters during a conference about the pros and
cons of joining the agreement.
“Jordan is well-known worldwide for its quick implemention of procedures, and
for its openness to the world trade market,” the deputy prime minister said.
“This agreement will reinforce Jordan's economic value through raising standards
and it will reinforce our transparency in commitment to international treaties.”
The minister said he is convinced that the added value of this step will grow
with time.
According to a presentation given by Halaiqa to trade officials and lawyers, the
main positive sides that can emerge from entering this agreement include
becoming eligible for new types of grants and loans besides increasing exports
and imports.
Organised by Saba and Co. Intellectual Property office, the presentation
explained that the registration process starts by registering the trademark at
the national office of WIPO, which will record the trademark in the WIPO
database.
The WIPO then checks if all the needed information is provided, and in this
case, publish the trademark in its magazine. Also, the trademark will be
published in the Official Gazette here at home. After that, the WIPO will notify
all member countries on the newly registered trademark.
A time span of 25 months is given for the process to be completed, allowing 12
months for rejection and negotiations on recording the trademark.
In its laws, the WIPO is entitled to secure the recorded trademark for 10 years,
and the owner of trademark will be notified six months ahead of the company's
trademark's expiry date so the company can reregister for another period of 10
years.
Registration fees include four parts: 653 Swiss francs ($500, JD355) as
registration fees, 73 Swiss francs ($56, JD40) as additional fees, and another
73 Swiss francs ($56, JD40) for each country the company likes to register its
products in, unless that country has an individual fee.
For example, Australia charges 150 Australian dollars for application and 500
Australian dollars for registration. The United States, Japan and England also
charge individual fees.
Halaiqa said that the treasury would benefit from foreign company trademark
registration in Jordan. But he said that during the first year, he doesn't
expect many foreign companies to register in Jordan.
The WIPO is an international organisation dedicated to promoting the use and
protection of works of the individuals.
According to the WIPO's website, these works — intellectual property — are
expanding the bounds of science and technology and enriching the world of the
arts. Through its work, WIPO plays an important role in enhancing the quality of
life, as well as creating real wealth for nations.
With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO is one of the 16 specialised
agencies of the United Nations system of organisations. It administers 23
international treaties dealing with different aspects of intellectual property
protection. The organisation counts 180 nations as member states.
Lately, WIPO organised a series of seminars in Jordan that have been attended by
participants in the region as well as for specific target groups such as
parliamentarians, judges and journalists. The objective of these seminars was to
raise awareness about the importance of intellectual property for development
and its potential in promoting wealth creation.
Recently, the WIPO commended Jordan's “firm commitment” to ensuring a culture of
respect for intellectual property and for having adapted its legislation to be
fully compliant with its international obligations.
On July 28, 1999, Jordan became a member of the International Union for the
Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (“Berne Union”), founded by the Berne
Convention.