Trademarks

A trade mark is a sign which is capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings and which is also capable of being represented graphically.

You can apply for registration or restoration (re-registration of a trade mark (including collective or certification mark) in Belize by filing the required form No. 1, 2, 3 and 9 (Click Trademark Forms).

The Madrid System is a convenient and cost-effective solution for national or regional trademark holders to obtain and maintain protection of their brands in multiple markets simultaneously, by filing a single application for an international trademark registration. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in Geneva, Switzerland, administers the Madrid System. Belize joined the Madrid System on February 24, 2023.

The Madrid System is:

Convenient

You file one application for an international trademark registration in one language and pay one set of fees in one currency (Swiss Francs), to register your trademark in multiple territories. You can then centrally manage your international trademark registration – expand or renounce protection, change ownership, renew your registrations, and more – online, directly through WIPO.

Global

You can seek protection of your trademark in all or any of the Madrid System’s Members, representing over 80% of world trade.

Cost-effective

You save time and money by filing one application for an international trademark registration, rather than a bundle of national or regional trademark applications. You do not need to pay for translations or hire a representative to file your application in each country.

The international trademark registration process comprises three stages:

Stage 1 – File (BELIPO)

Before you can file an application for an international trademark registration, you must already have – or have applied for – a national trademark registration (known as a “basic mark”) with BELIPO. You can then use your “basic mark” to file an application for an international trademark registration – seeking protection of your mark in multiple territories simultaneously – through BELIPO. We will certify it and send it to WIPO.

Stage 2 – Formal examination (WIPO)

WIPO checks that your international trademark application complies with all formal requirements (contact details, quality of images, payment of fees, etc.).

Once approved, WIPO records your trademark in the International Register and publishes it in the WIPO Gazette of International Marks. WIPO will then send you a Certificate of Registration – acknowledgement of compliance with WIPO’s formal requirements – and notify the intellectual property (IP) Offices of all the Madrid System Members where you are seeking protection of their designation.

Stage 3 – Substantive examination (national and regional IP Offices)

The IP Office of each Madrid System Member where you are seeking protection will perform substantive examination of your trademark. Each Office must grant or refuse protection in their territory within a given time limit (12, or in some cases 18, months from the date on which WIPO notified them of their designation). They will send their decisions to WIPO who will notify you and update the International Register accordingly.

Find out more about filing international trademark applications.

If you are a national of – or have a domicile or business in – Belize, you can use the Madrid System.

eMadrid is your digital gateway to international trademark protection. It provides you with centralized and secure self-service access to all the Madrid System’s online services and tools used to file, monitor and manage international trademark registrations.

You can file your application for an international trademark registration directly through the website of BELIPO using Madrid e-Filing.

• What is Madrid e-Filing?

  Madrid e-Filing is a secure, digital, and streamlined environment through which you can file – and we (BELIPO and WIPO) can process – applications for international trademark registrations. You can directly communicate with us (BELIPO) through the platform, as well as receive – and respond to – any irregularity notices that WIPO may issue.

  Important! You need a WIPO Account to use Madrid e-Filing. Create an Account now!

All the basic information required to complete your application for an international trademark registration is imported directly from your “basic mark” (your national trademark application or registration in Belize).

How to use Madrid e-Filing

• Go toMadrid eFiling
• Enter your WIPO Account username and password;
• Select ‘New application’;
• Select ‘BZ – Belize’ from the drop-down list of Offices;
• Click on ‘Import basic application or registration’; and
• Follow the prompts to complete your application.

Check that all the information is correct, and where necessary adjust or add any missing details such as your email address, representative details, etc.

Important: Check your application carefully – once you submit it, you can no longer make any changes.

Once your application is ready, you will be directed to WIPO’s centralized payment platform. Select your preferred payment method and follow the prompts.

You can also access Madrid e-Filing via eMadrid. This will ensure that you have access to all the tools and resources that you might need to complete your application for an international trademark.

How to access Madrid e-Filing via eMadrid?

• Go toeMadridand select ‘Start a new application’;
• Enter ‘Belize’ in the ‘Search your Office of origin’ box;
• Click on the blue button ‘Get started with the Madrid e-Filing service’;
• Enter your WIPO Account username and password;
• Click on ‘New application’;
• Select ‘BZ – Belize’ from the drop-down list of Offices;
• Click on ‘Import basic application or registration’; and
• Follow the prompts to complete your application.

Fees – payable in Swiss francs (CHF) – include:

• Abasic fee(653 CHF for a black/white reproduction; 903 CHF for a mark in color); and
• Additional feesdepending on where, and in how many classes of goods and services, you want to protect your mark:
  a. Standard feesinclude:
  • Acomplementary fee: 100 CHF per designated Madrid System Member; and
  • Asupplementary fee: 100 CHF for each class of goods and services over three.
• Anindividual feereplaces the “standard fees” in certain Madrid System Members.Find out more about individual fees.

Find out more about Madrid System fees and payment methods.

An international trademark registration is valid for 10 years and is renewable indefinitely. You can renew it either when the 10-year term expires, or within the six-month grace period following its expiry.

The simplest way to renew your international trademark registration is through eMadrid

The Madrid System Member Profiles available under eMadrid provide a wide range of information on the laws, practices, and procedures of all Madrid System Members.

When you prepare your application for an international trademark registration using Madrid e-Filing the list of goods and services covered by your national trademark application or registration will automatically be imported into your international application (refer to question 6 for more information on filing).

You can adjust the goods and services to be narrower in your international trademark application but not broader.

If you wish to broaden the list of goods and services covered by your international trademark registration, you must first submit a new national application through BELIPO.

Yes! You can use eMadrid to:

• track the status of your international trademark application and registration;
• expand protection to other Madrid System Members;
• limit the list of goods and services;
• renounce protection;
• manage your representatives;
• change contact details;
• change ownership;
• fix an error in the International Register;
• renew your international registration;
• pay fees;
• submit forms;
• and more.

Find out more about managing international trademark registrations.

Searching for existing and pending trademarks in your target markets will help you to uncover trademarks that are similar or identical to yours, and therefore to make an informed decision about your international trademark application strategy.

You can use WIPO’s Global Brand Database to search through millions of records from multiple national and international databases.

You can use “Manage your trademarks” tab under eMadrid and “Monitor your registration” to track the status of your international trademark application in real-time as it moves through WIPO’s examination process.

Once WIPO has registered your application, you can find out whether the Madrid System Members where you seek protection of your mark have granted or refused protection in your target markets using the “Designation Status.

If the status of protection is “Protection Granted”, you can directly download a PDF document showing a status summary. If you need something more official, you can quickly order a certified document!

You can sign up to receive email alerts on all the latest updates and developments in the Madrid System.

More questions?

Find out more about the Madrid System

• Madrid System website
• Searching before filing an international trademark application
• Filing international trademark applications
• Managing international trademark registrations
• eMadrid – Madrid System online services
• Madrid System legal texts(Protocol, Regulations, Administrative Instructions)
• Guide to the Madrid System

Educational resources

• Madrid System case studies
• WIPO Podcast – International Trademark System Talks
• Madrid System video tutorials
• Madrid System webinars
• Madrid System In-Person Seminar