WIPO Releases Madrid Annual Report 2025

The Madrid Yearly Review 2025 is an annual statistical and analytical report on the Madrid System (international trademark registration system) published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Madrid System Overview

• Growth trend: In 2024, the number of international trademark applications under the Madrid System will be 65,000, a year-on-year increase of 1.2%, reversing the downward trend in 2022 and 2023. This is the first rebound since the substantial increase of 15% in 2021.
• Membership expansion: Qatar joins the Madrid System in 2024, bringing the total number of members to 115, covering 131 countries, accounting for 68% of the world's countries, 82% of the population, and approximately 90% of global GDP.
• Active registrations: By the end of 2024, the number of valid international registrations was 915,034, a year-on-year increase of 2.7%; the total number of designations in active registrations was 7,325,670, an increase of 0.6%.
• Renewals and subsequent designations: In 2024, the number of renewals of international registrations was 40,228, an increase of 2.4%; the number of subsequent designations was 66,581, an increase of 3.5%.

Key trends in international applications

• Application source:
  • The United States topped the list with 11,270 applications, up 2.5% year-on-year.
  • Germany had 6,449 applications, down 2.6%, China had 5,828 applications, up 6.3%, France had 4,211 applications, down about 1-2%, and the United Kingdom had 3,736 applications, down about 1-2%, ranking second to fifth.
  • Among the top 20 countries of origin, South Korea had the fastest growth (+12.1%), followed by Canada (+5.8%), Italy (+5.7%), Japan (+6.1%) and Switzerland (+6.1%). Denmark (-18.1%), the Netherlands (-12.4%) and Sweden (-19.3%) had the largest declines.
  • The top 10 source countries accounted for nearly 70% of total applications in 2024, a stable proportion.
• Regional distribution:
  • European applications accounted for 51.3%, but this was down 14 percentage points from 2014.
  • Asia accounted for 25%, an increase of 9 percentage points from 2014.
  • North America accounted for 18.8%, an increase of 5 percentage points due to Canada's joining in 2019.
• Main applicant:
  • France's L'Oréal topped the list for the fourth consecutive year, submitting 244 applications.
  • Novartis AG of Switzerland (193) and Euro Games Technology of Bulgaria (141) ranked second and third respectively.
  • Other active applicants include Japan’s Shiseido (124), Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim (106), and Hungary’s Egis Gyógyszergyár (103).
  • Among the top 60 applicants, the pharmaceutical (11), retail/apparel/footwear (7), technology/consumer electronics (7), and personal care/beauty (6) industries dominated.

Designations

• Total number of designations: The total number of designations in international applications in 2024 was 452,889, an increase of 1.1% year-on-year.
• Main designated sources:
  • China led with 74,101 designations, up 10% year-over-year, surpassing the United States to become the largest source of designations.
  • The United States (73,004 times, down 3.7%), Germany (38,676 times, down 4.2%), France (27,110 times, down 0.9%) and Switzerland (25,562 times, up 10.3%) rounded out the top five.
  • Bulgaria designates an average of 21 members per application, far higher than the global average of 7.
• Main designated destinations:
  • The United Kingdom (28,877 times) and the European Union (28,809 times) ranked first and second as designated destinations for the fourth consecutive year, followed by the United States (25,093 times), Canada (19,882 times) and China (18,560 times).
  • The top 20 designated destinations account for 62.7% of the total designations, of which 9 are middle-income countries (such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, etc.).
  • Vietnam (+11.2%) and Thailand (+11%) saw the fastest growth, while Russia (-5.7%), Norway (-5.2%) and Switzerland (-5%) saw significant declines.

Nice Classes and Industry Distribution

• Nice Classification:
  • In 2024, the total number of Nice classes specified in applications was 161,644, a slight decrease of 0.1% year-on-year.
  • Category 9 (computer hardware/software, etc.) accounted for 10.8%, ranking first for many consecutive years, but was slightly lower than 11% in 2023.
  • Other major categories include Category 35 (advertising/business management, 8.4%), Category 42 (scientific and technological services, 7.8%), Category 41 (education/entertainment, 5.3%), Category 5 (pharmaceuticals, 4.4%), Category 25 (clothing, 4.1%) and Category 3 (cleaning/cosmetics, 4.1%).
  • The service category (category 35, 41, 42, etc.) accounted for 35.9% of the total number of categories, an increase of about 6 percentage points from 29.7% in 2010.
• Industry Distribution:
  • Scientific research and information technology (including categories 9 and 42) accounted for 22%, making it the largest industry.
  • This was followed by pharmaceuticals/health/cosmetics (12.6%), business services (10.9%), leisure and education (10.5%) and clothing and accessories (10.3%).
  • Italy has agriculture as its primary industry, Russia has health as its primary industry, and the other top 10 source countries are mostly led by research and technology.

Costs and Administration

• Average Fees: The average fee per Madrid registration is CHF 3,832 in 2024**, approximately CHF 150 less than in 2023. Some 72% of trademark holders pay less than the average, with half paying CHF 2,490 or less.
• Administrative efficiency:
  • Of the 20 selected member offices, 6 notified more than 90% of preliminary refusal decisions to the International Bureau within 6 months, but 10 offices had a notification rate of less than 46% and 5 did not notify at all.
  • In 2024, the International Bureau received 67.2% of first decisions on the legal effect of registrations within 12 months, and the first decision notification rates of the 12 selected trademark offices ranged from 82-96%.

Madrid System Advantages and Process

• Advantages:
  • One application covers more than 130 countries, using a single language and currency (Swiss Franc).
  • Simplify trademark management by managing renewals and changes through a single system.
  • Reduce the workload of the IP Office by only conducting substantive examination.
  • process:
    • Applicants need to file an international application through the intellectual property office (office of origin) of the Madrid member country where they are located, based on an existing national application or registration (basic mark)
    • The International Bureau conducts a formal examination, and the trademarks that meet the requirements are entered into the International Register and notified to the designated members.
    • The validity period of international registration is **10 years** and can be renewed indefinitely, with each renewal period being 10 years
    • The international registration relies on the basic trademark for the first five years. If the basic trademark is cancelled, the international registration may be partially or completely invalidated.

Other points

• Data note: The application and designation data for 2024 are estimates, as some offices of origin have not yet transmitted their applications to the International Bureau.
• Nice Classification and Industry: The report divides the 45 Nice categories into 10 industries to facilitate the analysis of the industry distribution of trademark protection.
• Member list: As of the end of 2024, the Madrid System includes 115 members covering 131 countries, including the European Union (27 countries) and the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI, 17 countries).

For more detailed statistical data or graphical analysis, please refer to the specific chapters of the report (e.g. A1-A32, C16-C20) or visit the WIPO official website (www.wipo.int/en/web/ip-statistics).