Protect one brand in many markets
Madrid System or direct national filing — we price both first
The two routes have very different economics and very different risk profiles. We compare cost, timeline and central-attack exposure for the countries you actually care about, then file.
Madrid vs direct filing, side by side
No single route wins everywhere. The right answer depends on how many markets you need, how stable your Chinese base mark is, and whether you need a local certificate.
| Item | Madrid System | Direct national filing |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Requires a Chinese base application or registration | No base mark needed |
| Coverage | One application, many parties | One application per country |
| Fee structure | Basic fee + supplementary fee per party | National official fee + local agent |
| Upfront cost | Cheaper the more you designate | Cheaper for a single market |
| Examination | 12 or 18 months | Varies, usually 8–24 months |
| Later changes | One recordal at WIPO | Filed separately in each country |
| Central attack | Yes — base mark cancelled within 5 years kills the IR | No such risk |
| Certificate | WIPO statement; some offices issue local certificates | Local registration certificate |
| Best for | Multi-country coverage on a budget | Priority markets, certificates, unstable base mark |
What you actually pay
Official fees are set by WIPO and national offices; we do not mark them up. Our service fee is quoted separately and itemised.
Colour reproduction costs more. Fees are converted at the exchange rate on the payment date.
Each country has its own official fee, local agent fee and translation requirement — so a single headline price would be misleading. We quote per country, itemised.
Madrid members by region
Highlighted names are the markets Chinese brands file in most often. The Madrid System has 110+ contracting parties; the authoritative list is published by WIPO.
Five steps, no surprises
Markets and classes
Decide the countries, core and defensive classes, and the total cost before designating.
Registrability screen
Prior-mark search and absolute-grounds screening per target country.
Filing
Madrid applications go via CNIPA to WIPO; direct filings are lodged by local agents.
National examination
Provisional refusals need local responses within the deadline — we coordinate.
Grant and maintenance
Protection statements issued; renewals and recordals tracked with reminders.
Tell us the countries and classes
We reply with an itemised table: official fee, agent fee, translation, and our service fee, line by line. If Madrid is cheaper for your case, we will say so — and if direct filing is the safer route, we will say that too.
- Target countries or regions
- Classes, or a description of your products
- Whether you already have a Chinese filing or registration
- Whether you need a local certificate for any market
Verify your mobile and a consultant will come back with an itemised quote.
International filing questions
For the Madrid System, yes — you need a pending or registered Chinese application as the base mark. For direct national filings, no base mark is required, which is why direct filing is the route when your Chinese application is unstable or already under attack.
The WIPO basic fee is CHF 653 for a black-and-white reproduction, plus CHF 100 for each designated contracting party and CHF 100 for each class beyond the third. Some parties charge an individual fee instead of the supplementary fee. Our service fee is quoted separately after we know the countries and classes.
For five years from the international registration date, if your Chinese base mark is cancelled, invalidated or not renewed, the international registration falls with it in whole or in part. You can convert to national applications within three months of that cancellation to keep your filing dates — but the cleanest protection for critical markets is a direct national filing.
Under the Madrid Protocol each designated office has 12 or 18 months to issue a provisional refusal; silence after that means protection is granted. Direct filings vary widely by country — typically 8 to 24 months.
A provisional refusal is handled locally: it usually needs a local agent, local arguments and sometimes evidence of use. We coordinate with the local agent and tell you the odds and cost before you commit.
Start from where you actually sell or manufacture, then add markets where your mark is most likely to be squatted. For most consumer brands that is the EU, UK, US, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia; for manufacturing and trade, add the Middle East and Belt-and-Road markets.