TMEP appx b

us-uspto-tmep-tmep-9010-appx-bTMEP appx bGuidance

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Appendix B
Members of International Trademark Agreements
The following is a list of members of international trademark agreements to which the United States
is also a party.
If there is a discrepancy between the expiration of a foreign registration as listed here and
the date listed on the foreign registration, the date listed on the foreign registration will be
controlling.
Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
Under the Paris Convention, foreign applicants may seek U.S. registration, based on either (a) a
valid registration, or (b) an application to register in any of the member countries listed below, with
a right of priority if the United States application is filed within 6 months of the date of the first
filing of the foreign application. Member countries and term of registration may change; for the
most up to date information, see the World Intellectual Property Organization’s home page at
http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/paris/index.html (accessed January 23, 2026).
Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of application)	ALBANIA
10	10 (from date of application)	ALGERIA
10	10 (from date of registration)	ANDORRA
10	10 (from date of application)	ANGOLA
10	10 (from date of application)	ANTIGUA and BARBUDA
10	10 (from date of registration)	ARGENTINA
10	10 (from date of application)	ARMENIA (Russian Federation)
10	10 (from date of registration)	ARUBA
10	10 (from date of application)	AUSTRALIA
10	10 (from date of application)	AUSTRIA
10	10 (from date of application)	AZERBAIJAN (Russian
Federation)
14	14 (from date of application)	BAHAMAS
10	10 (from date of application)	BAHRAIN
10	7 (from date of application)	BANGLADESH
10	10 (from date of registration)	BARBADOS
10	10 (from date of application)	BELARUS (Russian Federation)
10	10 (from date of application)	BELGIUM (Benelux Nations)
10	10 (from date of registration)	BELIZE
10	10 (from date of application)	BENIN (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	BHUTAN
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Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of registration)	BOLIVIA
10	10 (from date of application)	BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
10	10 (from date of application)	BOTSWANA
10	10 (from date of registration)	BRAZIL
10	10 (from date of application)	BULGARIA
10	10 (from date of application)	BURKINA FASO (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	BURUNDI
10	10 (from date of application)	CAMBODIA
10	10 (from date of application)	CAMEROON (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of registration for marks registered
on or after June 17, 2019 and for renewals on or
after June 17, 2019);
CANADA
15 (from date of registration for marks registered
and renewed before June 17, 2019, with a 10-year
renewal term for any subsequent renewal after June
17, 2019)
10	10 (from date of application)	CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	CHAD (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of registration)	CHILE
10	10 (from date of registration)	CHINA (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC)
10	10 (from date of registration)	COLOMBIA
10	10 (from date of application)	COMOROS (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	CONGO, DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF
10	10 (from date of application)	CONGO (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of registration)	COSTA RICA
10	10 (from date of application)	CÔTE D’IVOIRE (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	CROATIA
10	10 (from date of application)	CUBA
10	10 (from date of registration)	CURAÇAO
14	7 (from date of application)	CYPRUS
10	10 (from date of application)	CZECH REPUBLIC
10	10 (from date of application)	DENMARK
10	10 (from date of application)	DJIBOUTI
10	10 (from date of application)	DOMINICA
10	10 (from date of registration)	DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
10	10 (from date of registration)	ECUADOR
10	10 (from date of application)	EGYPT
10	10 (from date of registration)	EL SALVADOR
10	10 (from date of application)	EQUATORIAL GUINEA (OAPI)
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Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of application)	ESTONIA
10	10 (from date of application)	ESWATINI
10	10 (from date of registration)	FINLAND
10	10 (from date of application)	FRANCE
10	10 (from date of application)	GABON (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	GAMBIA
10	10 (from date of registration)	GEORGIA
10	10 (starts on application date, ends after 10 years,
on last day of the month of the application date for
marks registered before January 14, 2019);
GERMANY
10 (from date of application for marks registered
on or after January 14, 2019)
10	10 (from date of application)	GHANA
10	10 (from date of application)	GREECE
10	10 (from date of application)	GRENADA
10	10 (from date of registration)	GUATEMALA
10	10 (from date of application)	GUINEA (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	GUINEA-BISSAU (OAPI)
14	7 (from date of application)	GUYANA
10	10 (from date of registration)	HAITI
10	10 (from date of application)	HOLY SEE (Italy)
10	10 (from date of registration)	HONDURAS
10	10 (from date of application)	HUNGARY
10	10 (from date of registration)	ICELAND
10	10 (from date of application)	INDIA
10	10 (from date of application)	INDONESIA
10	10 (from date of application)	IRAN
10	10 (from date of application)	IRAQ
10	10 (from date of application)	IRELAND
10	7 (from date of application for marks applied for
on or before August 6, 2003);
ISRAEL
10 (from date of application for marks applied for
after August 6, 2003)
10	10 (from date of application)	ITALY
See CÔTE D’IVOIRE	IVORY COAST
10	10 (from date of registration)	JAMAICA
10	10 (from date of registration)	JAPAN
10	10 (from date of application)	JORDAN
10	10 (from date of application)	KAZAKHSTAN (Russian
Federation)
10	10 (from date of application)	KENYA
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Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of application)	KOREA, NORTH
(DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S
REPUBLIC OF KOREA)
10	10 (from date of registration)	KOREA, SOUTH (REPUBLIC
OF KOREA)
10	10 (from date of application)	KYRGYZSTAN (Russian
Federation)
10	10 (from date of application)	LAOS
10	10 (from date of application)	LATVIA
15	15 (from date of application)	LEBANON
10	10 (from date of application)	LESOTHO
15	15 (from date of registration)	LIBERIA
10	10 (from date of application)	LIBYA
10	10 (from date of application)	LIECHTENSTEIN
10	10 (from date of application)	LITHUANIA
10	10 (from date of application)	LUXEMBOURG (Benelux
Nations)
10	10 (from date of application)	MADAGASCAR
[A new industrial property law covering patents,
trademarks and designs was promulgated in
Madagascar on July 31, 1989. Certain regulations
have been promulgated, notably those covering the
appointment of local trademark agents. In addition,
due to Madagascar's prior involvement in OAPI,
trademark owners can claim rights in OAPI
registrations filed before December 31, 1976.
December 9, 1994 was the cut-off date for filing
Maintenance in Vigour applications. Because rights
in Madagascar are acquired on a first-to-file basis,
trademark registration applications should be filed
as soon as is possible. Trademarks may be
protected through publication of cautionary notices.
Trademarks Throughout the World (Anne-Laure
Covin, 5th ed. 2008).]
10	10 (from date of application)	MALAWI
10	10 (from date of application)	MALAYSIA
10	10 (from date of application)	MALI (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of registration)	MALTA
10	10 (from date of application)	MAURITANIA (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	MAURITIUS
10	10 (from date of registration)	MEXICO
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Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of application)	MOLDOVA (REPUBLIC OF)
(Russian Federation)
10	10 (from date of application)	MONACO
10	10 (from date of application)	MONGOLIA
10	10 (from date of application)	MONTENEGRO
10	10 (from date of application)	MOROCCO
10	10 (from date of application)	MOZAMBIQUE
10	10 (from date of application)	NAMIBIA
7	7 (from date of registration)	NEPAL
10	10 (from date of application)	NETHERLANDS (Benelux
Nations)
10	10 (from date of registration)	NEW ZEALAND
10	10 (from date of registration)	NICARAGUA
10	10 (from date of application)	NIGER (OAPI)
14	7 (from date of application)	NIGERIA
10	10 (from date of application)	NORTH MACEDONIA
10	10 (from date of application)	NORWAY
10	10 (from date of application)	OMAN
10	10 (from date of application)	PAKISTAN
10	10 (from date of application)	PANAMA
10	10 (from date of application)	PAPUA NEW GUINEA
10	10 (from date of registration)	PARAGUAY
10	10 (from date of registration)	PERU
10	10 (from date of registration)	PHILIPPINES
10	10 (from date of application)	POLAND
10	10 (from date of application)	PORTUGAL
10	10 (from date of application)	QATAR
10	10 (from date of application)	ROMANIA
10	10 (from date of application)	RUSSIAN FEDERATION
10	10 (from date of application)	RWANDA
10	10 (from date of application)	SAINT KITTS and NEVIS
10	10 (from date of application)	SAINT LUCIA
10	10 (from date of application)	SAINT VINCENT and the
GRENADINES
10	10 (from date of application)	SAN MARINO
[San Marino has no trademark law. However,
trademark protection obtained in Italy applies here
by virtue of the Pact Of Amity And Good
Neighborhood, dated March 31, 1939. Trademarks
Throughout the World (Anne-Laure Covin, 5th ed.
2008).]
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Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of application)	SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
10 Hejira
years
10 Hejira years, which is approximately 9 yr 8 mo
(from date of application)
SAUDI ARABIA
10	10 (from date of application)	SENEGAL (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	SERBIA
7	10 (from date of application) with 7-year renewal
terms thereafter
SEYCHELLES
14	14 (from date of application)	SIERRA LEONE
10	10 (from date of application)	SINGAPORE
10	10 (from date of application)	SINT MAARTEN
10	10 (from date of application)	SLOVAKIA
10	10 (from date of application)	SLOVENIA
10	10 (from date of application)	SOUTH AFRICA
10	10 (from date of application)	SPAIN
10	10 (from date of application)	SRI LANKA
10	10 (from date of application)	SUDAN
10	10 (from date of registration)	SURINAME
See ESWATINI	SWAZILAND
10	10 (from date of application)	SWEDEN
10	10 (from date of application)	SWITZERLAND
10	10 (beginning on filing date of application and
ending the last day of the month in which the
application had been filed)
SYRIA
10	10 (from date of application)	TAJIKISTAN (Russian
Federation)
10	7 (from date of application)	TANZANIA (UNITED
REPUBLIC OF) -
TANGANYIKA
7	10 (from date of application)	TANZANIA (UNITED
REPUBLIC OF) - ZANZIBAR
10	10 (from date of registration)	THAILAND
See TRINIDAD and TOBAGO	TOBAGO
10	10 (from date of application)	TOGO (OAPI)
10	10 (from date of application)	TONGA
10	10 (from date of application)	TRINIDAD and TOBAGO
10	10 (from date of application)	TUNISIA
10	10 (from date of application)	TURKEY
10	10 (from date of application)	TURKMENISTAN (Russian
Federation)
10	7 (from date of application)	UGANDA
10	10 (from date of application)	UKRAINE
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Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of application)	UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
10	10 (from date of application)	UNITED KINGDOM
10	10 (from date of registration)	URUGUAY
10	10 (from date of application)	UZBEKISTAN (Russian
Federation)
15	15 (from date of registration)	VENEZUELA
10	10 (from date of application)	VIETNAM
10	10 (from date of application)	YEMEN
14	7 (from date of application)	ZAMBIA
10	10 (from date of application)	ZIMBABWE
Inter-American Convention
Under the Inter-American Convention for Trademarks and Commercial Protection (also known as
the Pan-American Convention), foreign applicants may seek U.S. registration, based on either (a)
a valid registration, or (b) an application to register in any of the member countries listed below,
with a right of priority if the United States application is filed within 6 months of the date of the
first filing of the foreign application. See Diaz v. Servicios De Franquicia Pardo’s S.A.C., 83
USPQ2d 1320 (TTAB 2007) ; British-American Tobacco Co., Ltd. v. Phillip Morris, Inc., 55
USPQ2d 1585 (TTAB 2000).
Renewal Period (in years)	Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of registration)	COLOMBIA
10	10 (from date of application)	CUBA
10	10 (from date of registration)	GUATEMALA
10	10 (from date of registration)	HAITI
10	10 (from date of registration)	HONDURAS
10	10 (from date of registration)	NICARAGUA
10	10 (from date of application)	PANAMA
10	10 (from date of registration)	PARAGUAY
10	10 (from date of registration)	PERU
Buenos Aires Convention
Under the Buenos Aires Convention for the Protection of Trade Marks and Commercial Names,
foreign applicants may seek registration based on a valid registration from a member country but
not based on an application in the foreign country.
Renewal Period (in years)	Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of registration)	BOLIVIA
10	10 (from date of registration)	BRAZIL
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Renewal Period (in years)	Term of Registration (in years)	Country
10	10 (from date of registration)	COSTA RICA
10	10 (from date of application)	CUBA
10	10 (from date of registration)	DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
10	10 (from date of registration)	ECUADOR
10	10 (from date of registration)	GUATEMALA
10	10 (from date of registration)	HAITI
10	10 (from date of registration)	HONDURAS
10	10 (from date of registration)	NICARAGUA
10	10 (from date of registration)	PARAGUAY
10	10 (from date of registration)	URUGUAY
European Union Trademark
On December 20, 1993, the European Council issued Regulation No. 40/94, establishing a single
system of trademark registration, known as the Community Trade Mark (CTM), which is alternative
to the various registration systems of each nation within the European Union (EU), formerly known
as the European Community (EC) or European Economic Community (EEC).
Effective March 23, 2016, OHIM was renamed the European Union Intellectual Property Office
(EUIPO) and the CTM was renamed the European Union trademark (EU trademark), and all existing
CTMs and CTM applications automatically became EU trademarks and EU trademark applications.
See Regulation (EU) 2015/2424, of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December
2 0 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 O . J . ( L 3 4 1 ) 2 1 , a v a i l a b l e a t
https://euipo.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/contentPdfs/legal_reform/regulation_20152424_en.pdf
(accessed January 23, 2026); Press Release, OHIM, EU Intellectual Property Office – New Name
for the EU’s Largest Intellectual Property Agency (Dec. 24, 2015), available at
https://euipo.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/contentPdfs/about_ohim/press_releases/LR/opt_1/OHIM_trade_mark_reform_pr_en.pdf
(accessed January 22, 2026).
European Union countries include all countries which are members of the European Union namely:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. For a complete, up-to-date
listing of members of the EU, see the EU website at https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en
(accessed January 23, 2026).
A foreign applicant may seek registration in the United States based on either (a) a valid EU
trademark registration, or (b) a EU trademark application, with a right of priority if the United
States application is filed within 6 months of the date of the first filing of the EU trademark
application. An EU trademark is registered for a period of 10 years, running from the date of filing,
and may be renewed for 10 years. For further information about the EU trademark, see EUIPO’s
website at https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en (accessed January 23, 2026) and the Vademecum
at http://euipo.europa.eu/pdf/mark/vademecum-ctm-en.pdf (accessed January 23, 2026). For
information on whether the scope of the EU trademark extends to certain territories associated with
EU member states, and thus whether an EU trademark registration could serve as a valid registration
from an applicant’s country of origin, see TMEP §1002.03.
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Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI)
Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) is the African Intellectual Property
Organization for French-speaking Africa. The 17 member countries are Benin, Burkina Faso,
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea,
Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. One application covers
all member states. It is not possible to designate certain countries separately. It is not possible to
obtain national registration or renewal in a sole member state. This is a significant difference from
the other regional registration system in Africa, the African Regional Intellectual Property
Organization (ARIPO) for primarily English-speaking African countries. The Bangui Agreement
is the legislation that underpins OAPI.
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO), established on January 1, 1995, is the embodiment of the
results of the Uruguay Round trade negotiations and the successor to the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Article 4 of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) contains a most-favored-nation clause under which any
advantage a member gives to the nationals of another member must normally be extended to the
nationals of all members. Section 44(b) of the Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. §1126(b), provides that
any person whose country of origin is a party to any convention or treaty to which the United States
is a member is entitled to the benefits of §44. Accordingly, foreign applicants may seek U.S.
registration, based on either (a) a valid registration, or (b) an application to register in any of the
member countries listed below, with a right of priority if the United States application is filed within
6 months of the date of the first filing of the foreign application. The WTO Agreement entered
into force in the United States on January 1, 1995. The benefits accorded to nationals under this
agreement by the United States date from January 1, 1996. The following is a list of WTO members
who are not currently members of the Paris Convention. WTO members who are also members
of the Paris Convention are not set forth in the list below because nationals from these countries
have been able to base their U.S. registration on their home country application or registration since
the date of the country’s accession to the Paris Convention. For updates to the list of members
below, see WTO’s home page at http://www.wto.org (accessed January 23, 2026).
Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Effective Date of
Membership
Country
10	10 (from date of application)	Jan. 1, 1995	BRUNEI
DARUSSALAM
10	10 (from date of application)	Jan. 1, 1995	EUROPEAN
UNION
14	14 (from date of application)	Jan. 14, 1996	FIJI
10	10 (from date of registration)	Jan. 1, 1995	HONG KONG
10	10 (from date of application)	Jan. 1, 1995	KUWAIT
7	7 (from date of application)	Jan. 1, 1995	MACAO
[There is no trademark law in effect in
the Republic of Maldives, whose closest
May 31, 1995	MALDIVES
financial ties are with India. The only
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Renewal
Period (in
years)
Term of Registration (in years)	Effective Date of
Membership
Country
means of obtaining protection is by
publishing a cautionary note in the
English section of a Maldives newspaper.
Trademarks Throughout the World
(Anne-Laure Covin, 5th ed. 2008).]
10	10 (from date of application)	Jan. 1, 1995	MYANMAR
Renewal
dependent on
Term dependent on United Kingdom
registration
July 26, 1996	SOLOMON
ISLANDS
United
Kingdom
registration
Memorandum of Understanding Between United States and Taiwan
On the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding signed on April 10, 1996, between the American
Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United
States, a foreign applicant may seek U.S. registration based on either (a) a valid registration, or (b)
an application filed in Taiwan, and may claim a right of priority if the United States application is
filed within 6 months of the date of the first filing of the application in Taiwan. See notice at 1186
TMOG 50 (May 7, 1996). A registration in Taiwan is valid for 10 years from the date of registration,
and may be renewed for 10 years.
Other Countries Offering Reciprocal Registration and Priority Rights to United States
Applicants
Applicants from countries that are not members of international trademark agreements to which
the United States is also a party may register in the United States based upon ownership of a valid
registration in their country of origin if their country of origin provides reciprocal registration rights
to U.S. applicants. Following is a partial list of such countries. A claim of priority based on a
foreign-filed application (15 U.S.C. §1126(d)) may also be available to these applicants if their
country of origin provides reciprocal rights to priority to U.S. applicants.
If the country is not on the following list, the examining attorney should require an English copy
of the foreign trademark statute providing for reciprocal registration rights to U.S. applicants based
on a U.S. registration.
Renewal Period (in years)	Term of Registration (in years)	Country
Renewal dependent on United Kingdom
registration
Term dependent on United Kingdom
registration
TUVALU
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Additional Resources For Information About International Treaties and the Trademark
Laws of Foreign Countries
For further information about the trademark laws of foreign countries, see
https://wipolex.wipo.int/en/main/legislation (accessed January 23, 2026).
The United States Department of State puts out a list of members of treaties currently in force,
available at https://www.state.gov/treaties-in-force/ (accessed January 23, 2026).
Information about the United Nations treaty collection is available at http://treaties.un.org/
(accessed January 23, 2026).
There is a directory of intellectual property offices on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s
website at http://www.wipo.int/directory/en/urls.jsp (accessed January 23, 2026).
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