Question for discussion raised at the recent INTA mid-Winter meeting: In view of the U.S. accession to the Madrid Protocol, U.S. Attorneys will lose filing income from non-U.S. clients who use Madrid and non-U.S. trademark agents will lose filing income from U.S. clients. Nevertheless, applicants who receive office actions will still need to retain local counsel to respond to those actions. The question is not whether local counsel will seek to recoup lost income by charging ‘take-on’ fees – they will. The question is: what is and is not an appropriate rationale for such charges (and how much will be charged).
Map of Madrid courtey of Lonely Planet.