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.