Which organization administers the Madrid System for international trademark registration?

The World Intellectual Property Organization administers the Madrid System for international trademark registration.

The Madrid System allows a trademark owner to seek protection in multiple member jurisdictions through one international application, filed through the applicant’s national or regional trademark office. WIPO’s Madrid System manages the international registration and publishes the relevant records.

The system is based on two treaties: the Madrid Agreement of 1891 and the Madrid Protocol of 1989. The Protocol became the more widely used route because it accommodates national and regional trademark offices and provides greater procedural flexibility.

An international registration does not automatically create one worldwide trademark. Each designated country or regional office applies its own substantive law and may refuse protection. This is a common misconception about the system.