New standards and procedures for trademark protection adopted at UN conference

A new international treaty on trademarks that its proponents say creates a dynamic regulatory framework for the rights of brand labels was adopted today in Singapore by member States of the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks deals mainly with procedural aspects of trademark registration and licensing. “By agreeing to common standards in that area, member states create a level playing field for all economic operators that invest in branded goods,” WIPO said in announcing the new pact, which updates the 1994 Trademark Law Treaty (TLT) to bring it in line with the technological developments of the past decade.

“The Singapore Treaty, as the first international treaty in the field of intellectual property in the new century, reaffirms the importance of trademarks, one of the major forms of intellectual property, in promoting domestic and international trade and in enhancing enterprise development and consumer confidence,” WIPO Director-General Kamil Idris said in his message to the closing ceremony of the Diplomatic Conference for the Adoption of a Revised Trademark Law Treaty.

“The message is that in the 21st century, where innovation and knowledge have emerged as a key factor of economic wellbeing, intellectual property has a central role to play in the new information society,” Dr. Idris added.

The diplomatic conference for the treaty opened on 13 March and closed today.