Applications for international registration under the Madrid Protocol are examined by the Office of each designated country in accordance with its national law.
Each designated country must notify the examination result within 12 months (18 months in some countries) from the date of notification of designation. The IP(Intellectual Property) Office will notify the applicant (or their agent) through the International Bureau if there are any reasons why the applicant’s trademark application should be denied.
If the trademark is to be protected, the reasons for refusal stated in the provisional refusal notification must be resolved.
An inexpensive alternative to filing a Notice of Provisional Refusal is to file a “limitation” MM6 application. In this case, the cost is CHF 177 + remittance fee.
There is, however, a less costly method for achieving this.
Low-cost method of answering Provisional refusal
That is, to get in touch with a local agent(Trademark attorney) who can manage the situation on a budget.
There are local representatives who can undertake straightforward revisions for less than 177 Swiss francs, depending on the nature of the alteration.
For instance, we can afford to reply to the Japan IP office’s notice of reasons for refusal. Only 140 dollars.
Hiring a local agent(Trademark attorney) has additional benefits. Since the local representative is familiar with the actual conditions of examination in the country, he/she can minimize the scope of reductions and amendments.
The content of the grounds for rejection as well as the reasons for rejection are contained in the provisional rejection report. As a result, you might believe that searching the Internet will allow you to discover the precise contents. But that is insufficient. Since trademark laws vary from nation to nation, objecting to or amending a trademark application based on the sensibilities of your home country may drastically lower your chances of success or unnecessarily limit the breadth of your rights. Naturally, it would be ideal if you could afford to dedicate enough time to the examination’s research.
Thus, having a local representative who is knowledgeable about the trademark laws of that nation is the most efficient approach to get strong trademark rights.
Allow us to assist you if the Office has denied your trademark application.
Amendment fee: $70 + ($70/1 class)
Opinion letter fee: $170 + ($70/1 class)
Discounts are available for minor corrections.