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United Kingdom
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Key definition
Intellectual property definition

What does Intellectual property mean? Intellectual property describes intangible legal rights in creative, technical and branding outputs used and enforced in commercial practice, often abbreviated to IP or IPR. In the UK and Ireland the term is descriptive rather than a single statutory definition; discrete rights arise under specific regimes, typically including copyright, patents, trade marks, registered and unregistered designs, database right, trade secrets and confidential information, and the common law tort of passing off. These rights are territorial, generally time‑limited (trade secrets/confidential information can subsist indefinitely if secrecy is maintained), and confer exclusive rights that can be licensed, assigned, charged as security and...

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Madrid System for international trade marks: applications, designations, refusals, central attack and transformation, renewal and portfolio management, with UK practice and post‑Brexit implications

Published by a LexisNexis IP expert
Practice notes
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This Practice Note

This Practice Note provides a concise summary, setting out the procedure for applying for and registering international trade marks (IRs). It highlights the role of WIPO, the Madrid Agreement 1891 and the related Madrid Protocol.

The Madrid System enables trade mark proprietors to obtain protection in numerous countries via a single process. It is founded on two separate treaties:

  • the Madrid Agreement 1891 (the Agreement)
  • the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement (which took effect on 1 April 1996) (the Protocol)

Each treaty provides for the international registration of trade marks for goods or services and operates, essentially, as a filing system.

Relying on a home registration or application, a trade mark owner can file with WIPO in Geneva for an IR, designating the jurisdictions where protection is required. The mark is then recorded and published by the International Bureau in the WIPO gazette of International Marks...

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Christian Durr
Christian Durr

Christian is an Associate and Chartered Trade Mark Attorney in our IP & Media team. He advises companies on all aspects of brand protection including the clearance, filing, prosecution, exploitation and enforcement of trade marks and designs worldwide.Christian's experience includes the day to day management and exploitation of client's international trade mark and design portfolios and advising on IP disputes through the national registries and courts, as well as assisting on broader commercial IP issues. He has particular experience working with clients in the financial and retail sectors....

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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