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>[17.Dec.08] Trademarks - Singapore Treaty on Trademarks enters in Force in 2009
Source: WIPO [Adapted]

A new international treaty setting standards for trademark registration procedures will become effective in 2009 following its ratification by Australia on 16.Dec.2008. This is the tenth ratification of the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks (“the Singapore Treaty”) and will allow the treaty to enter into force on 16.Mar.2009.

WIPO Director General, Francis Gurry, welcomed this development saying that the entry into force of the Singapore Treaty was good news for trademark owners around the world as it opened the way for the branded goods industry to register and manage trademark rights cost-effectively and efficiently.

The Treaty standardizes procedural aspects of trademark registration and licensing and enables owners of trademarks and national trademark authorities to take advantage of efficiencies in using modern communications technologies to process and manage evolving trademark rights. By establishing common standards for procedural aspects of trademark registration and licensing, the Treaty helps to create a level playing field for all economic operators that invest in branded goods.

The Treaty also creates a dynamic regulatory framework with a built-in review mechanism that will help ensure that the international legal framework remains attuned to the evolving practical concerns of trademark owners as well as to the needs of developing countries.