WIPO中国：马德里体系的隐藏技巧—如何获得更早的商标保护

在全球经济深度融合的今天，知识产权保护已成为推动企业核心竞争力和业务发展的关键因素之一。商标申请的时机往往是品牌保护的第一道防线，其申请日期通常决定了企业在国际市场中争取优先权的能力。尤其是随着跨境电商的蓬勃发展和品牌国际化进程的加速，及时、有效的商标布局显得愈发重要。

Today, facing deep integration of the global economy, intellectual property protection has become one of the crucial factors driving core competitiveness and business development of enterprises. The timing of trademark applications often serves as the first line of defense for brand protection, as the filing date often determines the enterprise’s priority to gain a foothold in the international market. Especially with the booming development of cross-border e-commerce and the acceleration of brand internationalization, timely and effective trademark strategy becomes even more important.

商标申请日期的重要性

Why Trademark Filing Date Matters to You

对计划开拓海外市场的企业来说，较早的商标申请日期具有多重战略意义:

An earlier trademark filing date has multiple strategic implications for companies planning to explore overseas markets:

1. 确保商标优先权

1. Secure priority trademark rights

大多数市场的商标保护遵循“先到先得”原则。获取较早的申请日期可赋予您在目标市场中使用商标的专有权，从而有效防止竞争对手或未经授权方注册相似商标或侵犯您的权益。

Trademark protection in most markets are granted on a “first-come-first-served” basis. Securing an earlier filing date grants you an exclusive right to use your trademark in your target markets, allowing you to effectively prevent your competitors or unauthorized parties from registering similar trademarks or infringing on your rights.

2. 建立全球商标保护

2. Establish global trademark protection

根据《马德里议定书》和《巴黎公约》等国际协议，一个市场的商标申请日期可作为其他市场申请的优先权日期。这使企业能够在全球范围内延伸商标权，同时保持原有申请的时间优势。

The filing date in one market can serve as the priority date for trademark application in other markets, under international agreements such as the Madrid Protocol and Paris Convention. This allows businesses to extend its trademark rights globally while maintaining the advantage of the original earlier filing date.

3. 维护全球市场中的品牌完整性

3. Safeguard brand integrity in the global market

及早提交商标申请，尤其是在拓展国际业务的过程中，可帮助企业在海外市场巩固品牌身份。如果未能提前申请，企业可能面临在关键市场丧失品牌影响力，或因他人抢先注册而无法使用自身品牌的风险。

Filing trademarks early allows enterprises to secure their brand identity in foreign markets, particularly as they expand internationally. Without early filing, businesses may risk losing their brand presence in key markets or being unable to use their brand name due to prior filings by others.

如何通过优先权要求和先有权要求获得更早的申请日期

How to have an earlier filing date by priority claim and seniority claim

1) 什么是优先权要求及其运作方式

1) What is priority claim and how it works

在《巴黎公约》（1883 年制定的一项国际条约，旨在简化全球商标、专利和外观设计保护的确保和执行）或世界贸易组织成员的国家或地区首次申请商标时，申请人可以在首次申请日期后的六个月内向其他任何成员申请商标保护，随后的申请将被视为与首次申请日期相同的申请。

When a trademark is filed for the first time in a country or region that is a member of Paris Convention (an international treaty established in 1883, to simplify securing and enforcing global trademark, patent, and design protection) or World Trade Organization, the applicant can apply for trademark protection in any of the other members within six months of the initial filing date, the subsequent applications will be treated as if they were filed on the same date as the first application.

在世界知识产权组织（产权组织）管理的马德里体系下，如果您在提交基础商标申请后六个月内提交商标国际申请，就可以要求优先权日期。

Under the Madrid System administered by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), you can claim a priority filing date if you file your international trademark application within six months of filing your basic trademark application.

下面的例子说明了它是如何运作的：

The following examples illustrates how it works:

ABC公司于2024年1月1日在中国提交了第一份商标申请（“基础申请”）。他们决定拓展海外业务，并利用产权组织的马德里体系—方便、高效的一站式解决方案，在国外保护其中国商标。

ABC company filed their first trademark application (the “basic application”) in China on 1 January 2024. They decided to expand businesses overseas and protect their Chinese trademark abroad by using WIPO’s Madrid System, a convenient and efficient one-stop solution.

2024年5月1日，ABC 公司通过马德里体系提交国际商标申请，指定法国和瑞士。

On 1 May 2024, ABC company files an international trademark application through the Madrid System, designating France and Switzerland.

由于ABC公司于2024年1月1日在中国提交了基础申请，因此只要在6个月的优先权期限内（即2024年7月1日之前）提交国际申请，他们就可以根据《巴黎公约》要求在先申请的优先权。

Because ABC company filed the basic application in China on January 1,2024, they can claim priority rights under the Paris Convention, as long as the international applications are made within the six-month priority period (i.e. by July 1, 2024).

在优先权要求下，通过马德里体系指定法国和瑞士的商标国际注册将被视为在 2024年1月1日提交。这意味着ABC公司在这些司法管辖区的商标申请将优先于2024年1月1日之后提交的任何其他类似商标，即使实际申请日期是 2024年5月1日。

By making a priority, the international trademark applications designating France and Switzerland through the Madrid System will all be treated as though they were filed on January 1, 2024. This means ABC company’s trademark applications in these jurisdictions will take precedence over any similar trademarks filed after  January 1, 2024, even though the actual filing date was May 1, 2024.

2) 什么是先有权要求及其运作方式

2) What is seniority claim and how it works

如果您计划在欧洲联盟(欧盟)成员国寻求商标保护，您可以利用另一项特点来获得更早的申请日期。这被称为“先有权要求”（在欧洲联盟一个成员国的在先权），由欧盟相关法律规定。它适用于欧盟商标所有人以及指定欧盟的商标国际注册持有人。

If you are going to seek protection of your trademark in the EU (European Union) members, there is another feature you could make good use of to obtain an earlier filing date. This is called “seniority claim” (earlier rights in an European Union Member State) , which is governed by EU legislation. It may apply to EU trademark owners as well as to the holder of an international trademark designating the EU.

如果您的商标已在某个欧盟成员国注册，且符合一定条件（例如商标所有人、商标本身、商品和服务必须完全一致），您可以基于该国的现有国家商标注册申请先有权要求。该申请可在提交欧盟商标申请时一并提出，或在申请提交后两个月内提出。此外，支持该申请的相关文件必须在提交先有权要求后的三个月内提供。

If your trademark has been already registered in an EU Member State, you may claim seniority based on existing national trademark registrations in EU member countries, provided that a number of requirements are fulfilled (e.g., the owner, the trademark, the goods and services must be identical). This claim can be made with the application or within 2 months of the filing date of the European Union Trademark application. The documents in support of the claim must be submitted within 3 months of the claim. 

以下示例说明其运作方式：

The following example illustrates how it works:

假设您在法国有一个已注册的国家商标，该商标的注册日期为2023年1月1日。您希望拓展品牌影响力，并在欧盟成员国范围内获得商标保护。2024年5月1日，您通过马德里体系提交了一项商标国际注册，并指定欧盟。通过法国的先有权要求，该商标国际注册将被视为自2023年1月1日（而非2024年5月1日）起在欧盟生效，与法国的国家商标注册享有同等的法律效力。

You have a national trademark in France registered on January 1, 2023. You would like to expand your brand’s reach and protect your trademark in EU members. On May 1, 2024, you file an application for an international trademark registration under the Madrid System and designate EU. By successfully claiming seniority in respect of France, the international trademark registration would be treated the same as the national trademark registered in France on January 1, 2023, instead of May 1, 2024.

 来源：WIPO中国