Global trademark protection for a brand entering the EU, Latin America and Africa at the same time rarely comes from a single filing. An EU trade mark covers the 27 Member States in one go, the Madrid System extends a home mark to the countries that have joined it, and national filings fill the gaps, which in this corridor include Argentina, Peru, Nigeria and South Africa. This guide helps marketing, legal and finance teams choose the right mix before the first application goes in.
Key takeaways
- There is no single “world trademark”: protection is always territorial, so the question is which combination of routes covers your markets at the lowest risk.
- The EU trade mark (EUTM) costs EUR 850 online for one class and covers the whole EU, but it is all or nothing: a conflict in one Member State can block it everywhere.
- The Madrid System had 116 members covering 132 countries at the end of 2025, according to WIPO; several key Latin American and African markets are still outside it.
- A Madrid registration depends on its basic mark for five years, so a weak home filing puts every designation at risk.
- In practice, most corridor portfolios combine an EUTM or national basic mark, one Madrid registration and a handful of national filings.
What are the three routes to global trademark protection?
Every international filing strategy is built from three pieces, which can be combined.
- EU trade mark. One application to the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) gives a single right valid in all EU Member States. The EUIPO fee page sets the online basic fee at EUR 850 for one class, EUR 50 for the second and EUR 150 for each class from the third; the mark lasts 10 years and can be renewed indefinitely.
- Madrid System. Administered by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), it lets the owner of a national or regional mark file one international application through its home office and designate other members. Each designated office then examines the mark under its own law.
- National (or regional) filings. A separate application in each country, usually through a local agent. It is the only option where the country is not a Madrid member, and sometimes the better option where it is.
As the EUIPO itself explains, the national, EU and international systems are complementary and work in parallel. The choice is not either/or; it is about sequencing.
EU trade mark, Madrid or national: how do they compare?
| Factor | EU trade mark | Madrid System | National filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Territory | All 27 EU Member States, as one right | Any of the members you designate | One country (or a regional office such as OAPI) |
| Prerequisite | None | A basic application or registration at your office of origin | None |
| Official cost structure | EUR 850 (one class, online) + EUR 50 + EUR 150 per extra class | CHF 653 basic fee (CHF 903 in colour) + a fee per designated country | Each office’s fees + local agent |
| Main weakness | All or nothing: an earlier right in one Member State can sink it | Dependent on the basic mark for five years | Many deadlines, agents and invoices |
| Management | One register, one renewal | One renewal and centralised changes at WIPO | Separate renewals and recordals in each country |
Madrid fees come from the WIPO schedule of fees in force since 1 February 2023. The per-country amount varies widely, because many members charge an individual fee instead of the standard complementary fee.
Which corridor countries are not in the Madrid System?
This is where most international filing plans go wrong. According to the WIPO Madrid Yearly Review 2026 (13 May 2026), the system had 116 members covering 132 countries at the end of 2025. The WIPO Lex list of contracting parties shows how unevenly that coverage falls across our corridor:
| Region | In Madrid (examples) | Outside Madrid: national filing needed |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | European Union, plus each EU Member State, the UK, Switzerland, Norway | Practically none |
| Latin America | Mexico (2013), Colombia (2012), Brazil (2019), Chile (2022) | Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, Central American states such as Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama, and the Dominican Republic |
| Africa | OAPI (one regional title for 17 African states), Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, Mozambique | Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Ethiopia |
Two consequences follow. First, a brand selling in Buenos Aires and Lima needs national applications from day one, whatever it does in Europe. Second, the Andean Community countries share common rules (Decision 486) but not a common title: Colombia can be designated through Madrid, while Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia need national filings.
What are the hidden risks of each route?
The EU trade mark is all or nothing
One opposition based on an earlier national mark in a single Member State can defeat the whole EUTM. Oppositions must be filed within three months of publication, and the EUIPO reports that one in five EUTM applications is opposed. If the application fails, it can be converted into national applications in the countries where there is no conflict, keeping the original date.
Madrid depends on the basic mark
Under Article 6(3) of the Madrid Protocol, if the basic mark is refused, cancelled or withdrawn within five years of the international registration, protection falls in every designated country (the “central attack”). Article 9quinquies allows transformation into national applications within three months, keeping the date, but each one costs as much as a new filing. Designated offices also have one year, or 18 months where a country has declared it, to notify a refusal.
National filings multiply the workload
Each country has its own classification practice, opposition period, use requirement and renewal date. With 15 national registrations, a group has 15 renewal dates and 15 sets of use evidence to track.
What this means for your business
- List your markets for the next three to five years, not only today’s. Madrid allows later designations, but national filings in non-member countries should go in early.
- Clear the mark in the territories that matter, including the EU Member States where you do not sell; an earlier right there can still block an EUTM.
- Choose a robust basic mark. A word mark with a clear specification, already registered or close to it, is the safest base for Madrid.
- Use the six-month Paris Convention priority period to file the rest of the corridor with your first filing date.
- Budget official fees per route and per class, and add local agent costs for national filings.
Our team handling international trademark registration across the EU, Latin America and Africa can build that map with you and run the EUTM, Madrid and national filings as one project.
When to bring in an adviser
- Relying on Madrid where it does not reach. Assuming Argentina or Peru are “covered” by an international registration leaves the brand exposed to local squatters.
- Filing the EUTM without a search. An opposition from a small national mark in one Member State can cost months and force conversion.
- Building Madrid on a weak basic mark. If it falls in the first five years, every designation falls with it.
- Letting distributors file locally. A mark registered in a partner’s name is hard and costly to recover.
- Losing track of dates. Different offices, agents and renewal cycles are where rights quietly lapse; one docket for the whole portfolio prevents it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single trademark that protects my brand worldwide?
No. Trademark rights are territorial. The EU trade mark covers all EU Member States with one right, and the Madrid System lets you designate many countries in one application, but each designated office decides under its own law. Countries outside Madrid, such as Argentina, Peru, Nigeria or South Africa, still require national applications.
Should I file an EU trade mark or designate the EU through Madrid?
Both give EU-wide protection. A direct EUTM is independent and can serve as the basic mark for Madrid. Designating the EU through Madrid is efficient when your basic mark is outside the EU, for example in Mexico or Colombia, but that designation depends on the basic mark for five years.
How much does international trademark protection cost?
Official fees depend on the route and classes. The EUIPO charges EUR 850 online for one class; WIPO’s Madrid basic fee is CHF 653, plus a fee for each designated country, which varies by member. National filings add each office’s fees and local agent costs. A route map per market is the only reliable way to budget.
Can IP Global Guard manage global trademark protection for my brand?
Yes. We design the filing strategy, prepare and coordinate EUTM and Madrid filings, acting before the EUIPO, the OEPM and WIPO directly where our professionals are entitled and through qualified representatives otherwise, and coordinate local correspondents for national filings in Latin America and Africa, with one point of contact and one invoice.
How IP Global Guard can help you protect the brand across the corridor
Choosing between an EU trade mark, Madrid and national filings is a strategic decision that shapes costs and risks for a decade. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, plans and manages trademark portfolios across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa with one strategy and one billing relationship; see the jurisdictions we cover.
Send us your brand, the classes you need and your target markets for the next three years. We will map which countries Madrid reaches, where you need national filings and in what order to file. Ask our team for a filing route map.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.
Sources
- WIPO, Madrid System Yearly Review 2026 (13 May 2026)
- WIPO Lex, Madrid Protocol contracting parties (database)
- WIPO Lex, Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement (as amended on 12 November 2007)
- WIPO, Madrid System schedule of fees (in force since 1 February 2023)
- EUIPO, Trade mark fees and payments
- EUIPO, Where to register a trade mark
- EUIPO, Opposition
