The Recommendation is the first implementation of WIPO's policy to adapt to the pace of change in the field of industrial property by considering new options for accelerating the development of international harmonized common principles. It provides a set of guidelines for the protection of well-known marks that are recommended to States.

The Joint Recommendation aims at harmonizing and simplifying the formal requirements for the records of trademark licenses and therefore supplements the Trademark Law Treaty (TLT) of October 27, 1994, which is designed to streamline and harmonize formal requirements set by national or regional offices for the filing of national or regional trademark applications, the records of changes, and the renewal of trademark registrations.

The provisions aim at providing a clear legal framework for trademark owners who wish to use their marks on the Internet and to participate in the development of electronic commerce. They are intended to facilitate the application of existing laws relating to marks, and other industrial property rights in signs on the Internet.

The Recommendation is the first implementation of WIPO's policy to adapt to the pace of change in the field of industrial property by considering new options for accelerating the development of international harmonized common principles. It provides a set of guidelines for the protection of well-known marks that are recommended to States.

This Guide is primarily intended for applicants and holders of international registrations of marks, as well as officials of the competent administrations of the Member States of the Madrid Union. It leads them through the various steps of the international registration procedure and explains the essential provisions of the Madrid Agreement, the Madrid Protocol and the Common Regulations.

Trade in goods and services has historically resisted territorial confinement, but trademark protection remains territorial, albeit within an increasingly important framework of multilateral treaties. Trademark law therefore demands that practitioners, policy-makers and academics understand principles of international and comparative law. This handbook assists in that endeavour, with chapters describing and critically analyzing international and regional frameworks, and providing comparative perspectives on the substantive issues in trademark law and related fields, such as geographic indications, advertising law, and domain names. Chapters contrast common law and civil law approaches while focusing on the US and EU trademark systems in light of the role these systems have played in the development of trademark laws. Additionally, this handbook covers other jurisdictions, both common law and civil law, on the Asia-Pacific, African, and South American continents. This work should be read by anyone seeking a better understanding of trademark law around the world.

The provisions aim at providing a clear legal framework for trademark owners who wish to use their marks on the Internet and to participate in the development of electronic commerce. They are intended to facilitate the application of existing laws relating to marks, and other industrial property rights in signs on the Internet.