Madagascar to operate Madrid Protocol as from April

By Madrid (Marks) Notification No. 176, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has announced that the Republic of Madagascar deposited, on 28 January 2008, its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol concerning the International Registration of Marks. Madagascar has announced that, in accordance with Article 5(2)(d) of the Protocol, the time limit of one year to exercise the right to notify a refusal of protection of an international application that the owner wants to extend to Madagascar is replaced by 18 months. The Protocol enters into force, with respect to Madagascar, on 28 April 2008.