On August 7th, 2017, Thailand submitted its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol with the World Intellectual Property Organization, a significant step forward in internationalizing its trademark system. Thailand joins Cambodia and 98 other countries in this international treaty which allows trademark owners to file a single application applicable to all other member countries. Conversely, a trademark owner from any other member country can now extend their rights to Thailand through the Madrid Protocol. This should be of particular benefit to Cambodian companies expanding regionally. As Cambodia is considered a least developed country, Cambodian companies filing for trademarks through the Madrid Protocol receive a significant discount on filing fees, making this process very attractive when compared to filing for trademarks in each country separately. The Protocol comes into effect on November 7, 2017.
More information can be found under the WIPO's press release:
For more about the Cambodian trademark system, please refer to our Guide to Trademark Law in Cambodia.