Trademark World Magazine
Recession hits international trademark filings
INTERNATIONAL – International trademark filings dropped by 16% in 2009 as a result of the global economic downturn, according to the World
Intellectual Property Organization. WIPO received 35,195 international applications under its Madrid system for international
trademark registrations compared to 42,075 in 2008. “International trademark filings took a hit in 2009,” said WIPO director
general Francis Gurry. “This is not surprising given the difficult financial conditions and restrained consumer demand facing
companies around the world.” However, the filing of international trademark applications rose in a number of jurisdictions
in 2009 including the EU with a 3.1% increase and Japan with a 2.7% increase. Significant increases were also recorded by
Singapore, Croatia and Hungary.