The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) plays a central role in international trademark protection and offers authors, inventors and companies effective solutions for filing intellectual property rights in a single location in order to claim protection in several countries simultaneously.

• Uniform trademark registration – cost-effective protection in multiple countries

• The Madrid Agreement (MMA) allows companies to register their trademark in a single member state and simultaneously obtain protection in up to 131 countries. 

• This enables cost-effective and simplified trademark registration, protecting companies worldwide.

• Patent and design protection with international reach

• Inventors can file their patents in 157 countries through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in a single application procedure. 

• The PCT simplifies the process considerably and saves time and money, as the application does not have to be filed in each individual country. 

• WIPO also offers a solution for design applications: The Hague Design System enables an international design application, which ensures protection of the design in several countries.

• Alternative dispute resolution – efficient solutions through arbitration and mediation

• WIPO operates an Arbitration and Mediation Centre, which provides a cost-effective alternative to traditional court proceedings. 

• Private parties who have domestic or cross-border commercial disputes can find a solution here. 

• The most common disputes concern licensing agreements, research and development agreements, and technology transfer and distribution agreements.

• Resolution of domain disputes through the UDRP procedure

• WIPO is also responsible for resolving domain name disputes and offers the UDRP procedure to combat cybersquatting. 

• This protects companies from the unlawful use of their trademarks in domain names and helps them recover their web domain through the WIPO online process.