India prepares for Madrid Protocol

01 May 2010

PH Kurian, the controller general of patents, designs and trade marks in India, tells Peter Ollier about the challenges that India’s trade mark office faces

When will the amendment bill be passed to allow India to join the Madrid Protocol?

It was passed by the lower house in October last year. It is coming into the upper house this session. We expect it to be passed within this session. That means within two months.

After the Upper House passes the amendments relating to the Madrid Protocol it could take another three to four months for the rules to be finalised, so the Madrid Protocol may take until the end of the year to become operational.

How do you intend to bring the waiting time for trade mark registration down to 18 months? How long does it take to register a trade mark in India at present?

We will be able to do that. At present it takes 18 months.

But some IP practitioners have said that it takes two or three years to register a...

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