1. What Is International IP Recordation?
International IP recordation is the process of updating relevant intellectual property registers after a legally significant event affecting an IP asset.
The underlying event may involve an assignment, acquisition, merger, corporate reorganization, company name change, address change, license, entity conversion, transfer between affiliated companies, court order, or another ownership-related transaction.
Recordation should be distinguished from the transaction itself.
An assignment agreement transfers rights according to its terms and applicable law.
A recordation filing submits information concerning that transfer or other change to the appropriate intellectual property office or international registry.
Both can matter.
A company should not assume that executing one assignment agreement automatically updates every public register containing the transferred intellectual property.
2. Is There One Global System for Recording IP Ownership Changes?
No.
There is no universal registry where a company can record one assignment and automatically update every trademark, patent, design, and copyright right throughout the world.
WIPO administers several international systems, but each serves a different purpose.
Madrid System
The Madrid System applies to international trademark registrations.
WIPO can centrally record certain ownership changes, holder name and address changes, licenses, limitations, and other changes affecting Madrid registrations.
Hague System
The Hague System applies to international industrial design registrations.
WIPO provides procedures for changes in ownership, holder name and address changes, limitations, and certain other changes.
The Hague International Register does not provide a procedure for recording licenses.
Patent Cooperation Treaty
During the international phase of a PCT application, WIPO’s International Bureau can record certain applicant, inventor, agent, address, and related changes under PCT Rule 92bis.
Once the application proceeds into national or regional phases, recordation generally becomes subject to the procedures of the relevant national or regional offices.
Copyright
WIPO does not maintain a worldwide copyright registration or copyright assignment registry.
Copyright ownership and recordation issues must therefore be considered under relevant national systems.
A single transaction can consequently require several recordation systems operating at the same time.
3. Why Should IP Assignments and Ownership Changes Be Recorded?
Accurate ownership records can be important for maintaining chain of title, licensing, financing, acquisitions, enforcement, renewals, prosecution, trademark maintenance, investor review, and portfolio management.
Different IP systems can also attach different legal consequences to recordation or failure to record.
For U.S. patents, recordation can provide public notice and may become important in disputes involving subsequent purchasers.
For U.S. copyrights, recordation is generally voluntary but can provide statutory benefits involving constructive notice and priority between conflicting transfers when the applicable requirements are satisfied.
The consequences vary by intellectual property type and jurisdiction.
Failure to record an ownership change does not automatically invalidate every assignment or every underlying IP right.
It can, however, create ownership discrepancies, priority problems, enforcement complications, prosecution or maintenance issues, transaction delays, financing concerns, or additional chain-of-title questions.
4. What Types of Changes May Require Recordation?
International portfolios may require updates after many different events.
Assignment
One entity transfers ownership of intellectual property to another.
Merger
An IP-owning entity merges into another legal entity.
Acquisition
An asset purchase or other transaction transfers specified intellectual property to the buyer.
Corporate Name Change
The legal entity remains the same owner, but its name changes.
Address Change
Ownership remains unchanged, but the recorded address needs to be updated.
Entity Conversion
A business may convert from one entity form to another.
Whether the event represents an ownership transfer or continuation of the same entity depends on the applicable law and transaction.
Internal Reorganization
A corporate group may move intellectual property among affiliates or into a dedicated IP holding company.
Partial Assignment
Only specified goods, services, jurisdictions, applications, registrations, or other rights may be transferred.
License
Some international and national systems permit or encourage recordation of licenses.
Others do not.
Security Interest
Certain registries permit security interests or similar documents to be recorded.
Correctly classifying the underlying transaction is the first step toward selecting the appropriate filing procedure.
5. What Is the Difference Between an Assignment and a Name Change?
An assignment changes who owns the intellectual property.
A name change generally does not.
Suppose ABC Technologies, Inc. changes its corporate name to ABC Innovation, Inc.
If the same corporation continues to exist under the new name, there may be no ownership transfer.
Now suppose ABC Technologies, Inc. transfers its trademark portfolio to XYZ Holdings LLC.
That involves a different legal entity and therefore an assignment or other ownership transfer.
The distinction matters because different recordation procedures may apply.
Under the Madrid System, for example, changing the holder’s name is a different transaction from changing ownership.
Before beginning an international recordation project, the legal nature of the corporate event should therefore be determined first.
6. How Are Mergers and Corporate Reorganizations Reflected in IP Records?
Mergers and reorganizations can create complicated chain-of-title issues because one corporate event may affect large portfolios in several jurisdictions.
The first step is understanding what actually happened.
Did one company merge into another?
Did the surviving company later change its name?
Was intellectual property transferred to an affiliate before or after the merger?
Did the company convert into another legal entity?
Which entity legally owns the IP today?
A portfolio may require more than one ownership step to be recorded.
For example:
Company A → Company B
followed by:
Company B → Company C
If a foreign registry still identifies Company A, both transactions may need to be documented to establish a consistent chain of title.
Accurate historical ownership can become especially important during enforcement, financing, licensing, or acquisition diligence.
Learn About IP Due Diligence
7. How Are Madrid System Trademark Ownership Changes Recorded?
The Madrid System provides a centralized procedure for recording changes in ownership of international trademark registrations.
WIPO permits holders to request total or partial ownership changes through its Madrid management system.
A total change may transfer all goods and services across all affected designated Madrid members.
A partial change can involve only certain goods or services, only specified designated members, or a combination of both.
WIPO records the change in the International Register and notifies the affected designated offices.
This can reduce the need to file the same ownership update individually before every designated national office.
Centralized recordation does not mean that domestic law becomes irrelevant.
The legal effect of the ownership change in a particular Madrid member remains subject to that jurisdiction’s applicable law.
A designated office may determine under the Madrid framework that the recorded ownership change does not have effect in its territory.
Madrid therefore centralizes the recordation process, but it does not create one worldwide substantive law of trademark ownership.
8. Can a Madrid International Registration Be Partially Assigned?
Yes.
A Madrid international trademark registration may potentially be transferred for only certain goods or services, only certain designated members, or both.
This flexibility can be valuable in acquisitions, divestitures, corporate restructurings, and product-line sales.
For example, an international registration may cover software, financial services, and consulting.
If a business sells only its financial-services division, the transaction may require analysis of whether the relevant portion of the Madrid registration should transfer with that business.
The recordation should match the rights actually transferred under the transaction documents.
9. Who Can Become the New Owner of a Madrid International Registration?
Not every person or entity is automatically eligible to become the holder of a Madrid international registration.
The transferee generally must have a qualifying connection with a Madrid System member.
That connection can arise through nationality, domicile, or a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment in a Madrid member.
This issue should be evaluated before the transaction documents assume that an international registration can simply be transferred to the acquiring company.
A corporate acquisition involving an entity organized outside the Madrid System can therefore require additional planning.
10. How Are Madrid Holder Name and Address Changes Recorded?
WIPO provides a separate procedure for changes involving the holder’s name, address, and related holder information.
These updates are different from ownership transfers.
A company may need to update Madrid records following a corporate rename, relocation, or other change that does not actually transfer ownership.
Outdated holder information can surface later during renewal, litigation, licensing, financing, or transaction due diligence.
A portfolio review can identify these discrepancies before they create additional administrative issues.
11. Can Trademark Licenses Be Recorded Through the Madrid System?
Yes.
WIPO permits qualifying trademark licenses affecting Madrid international registrations to be recorded in the International Register.
The record can identify the licensee, covered goods or services, territorial scope, and other specified license information.
The underlying commercial license agreement generally does not need to be submitted as part of the Madrid recordation request.
This permits certain license information to appear in the International Register without requiring the parties to place their complete commercial contract into the record.
Madrid license recordation is optional at the international level.
Its legal effect in individual jurisdictions requires separate consideration.
12. Does Madrid License Recordation Work in Every Country?
No.
A Madrid trademark license recorded with WIPO does not necessarily have the same legal effect in every designated Madrid member.
Some jurisdictions do not provide for trademark-license recordation under their domestic systems.
Others have declared that an international license recordation through WIPO has no effect in their territory.
In those jurisdictions, a separate national or regional filing may be necessary if local license recordation is required or strategically advisable.
Because member-specific requirements can change, the effect of a Madrid license recordation should be checked against current WIPO information and the applicable domestic law.
13. How Are U.S. Madrid Protocol Trademark Ownership Changes Recorded?
U.S. trademark rights based on Madrid international registrations follow a different ownership-update process from ordinary U.S. national registrations.
For a Madrid-based U.S. extension of protection under Section 66(a), an ownership change involving the underlying international registration generally must be submitted through WIPO’s International Bureau.
WIPO records the ownership change and then notifies the USPTO.
Holder name and address changes for the international registration likewise generally proceed through WIPO rather than being handled as ordinary domestic ownership changes.
This distinction is important for portfolios containing both:
Ordinary U.S. trademark registrations
and
Madrid-based Section 66(a) U.S. registrations
The two categories may require different recordation procedures even though both appear in the USPTO trademark system.
14. How Are Hague International Design Ownership Changes Recorded?
The Hague System provides centralized management procedures for international industrial design registrations.
WIPO permits holders to request changes in ownership, holder name and address changes, limitations, and certain other updates concerning Hague international registrations.
As with Madrid, international recordation does not eliminate every country-specific requirement.
Some Hague members require particular documents or statements before a recorded ownership change will have effect locally.
The Hague framework also permits a designated office to determine that a recorded ownership change does not have effect in its jurisdiction under the applicable rules and domestic law.
A global design transfer should therefore be reviewed at two levels:
The Hague International Register
and
Member-specific requirements
15. Can Licenses Be Recorded Through the Hague System?
No.
The Hague International Register does not provide a procedure for recording licenses.
This is an important distinction between Madrid and Hague.
Under Madrid, qualifying trademark licenses may be recorded centrally through WIPO, although that recordation does not have the same effect in every member.
Under Hague, licenses cannot be recorded in the International Register.
If a license involving a Hague international design needs to be reflected in a particular jurisdiction, the parties should evaluate whether the relevant national or regional system provides a local license-recordation procedure.
16. How Are Ownership Changes Handled in PCT Patent Applications?
The Patent Cooperation Treaty provides a centralized procedure for certain changes during the international phase.
Under PCT Rule 92bis, WIPO’s International Bureau can record specified changes involving the applicant, applicant name, residence, nationality, address, agent, common representative, and inventor information.
There is an important timing limitation.
The International Bureau generally will not record a Rule 92bis request received after the expiration of 30 months from the priority date.
The procedure can simplify applicant and ownership-related updates while the PCT application remains in its international phase.
It should not be treated as a permanent worldwide patent-assignment registry.
17. What Happens After a PCT Application Enters the National Phase?
Once a PCT application enters national or regional phases, the applicable national or regional offices generally control prosecution and ownership records for those rights.
A transaction involving one international patent family may therefore require several different filings.
For example, there may be:
A Rule 92bis request for the PCT application still in international phase.
Separate ownership filings for national-phase applications already entered.
Separate assignment recordations for issued patents.
Different forms and documentation requirements in different jurisdictions.
This is why international patent ownership changes are often managed through a jurisdictional matrix rather than one universal assignment form.
18. How Are National and Regional Patent Assignments Recorded?
After patent rights exist at the national or regional level, the relevant office and domestic law determine the recordation procedure.
Requirements can differ substantially among jurisdictions.
Depending on the country or office, a filing may require an assignment document, short-form assignment, power of attorney, certified copy, translation, notarization, legalization or apostille, corporate evidence, official government form, filing fee, local representative, application number, patent number, or execution-date information.
For U.S. patents and patent applications, the USPTO records qualifying assignments and other documents through its Assignment Center.
Other countries may follow very different procedures.
A U.S. recordation approach should therefore not be assumed to work internationally.
19. Is There a Global Copyright Assignment Registry?
No.
WIPO does not maintain a worldwide copyright registration or copyright assignment database.
Copyright protection and copyright ownership remain primarily matters of national law, informed by international treaties.
An assignment agreement may transfer copyright interests across several countries according to its terms and the applicable law.
Whether that transfer can or should also be recorded is a separate jurisdiction-specific question.
Copyright therefore does not have a centralized ownership-transfer system comparable to Madrid trademark recordation.
Learn About Copyright Assignments & Transfer of Ownership
20. Should Copyright Transfers Be Recorded in the United States?
Potentially.
The U.S. Copyright Office permits recordation of qualifying transfers of copyright ownership and other documents pertaining to copyright.
Recordable documents can include assignments, exclusive licenses, qualifying security agreements, and certain documents involving changes of name or address.
Recordation is generally voluntary.
It can nevertheless provide statutory benefits involving public ownership records, constructive notice, and priority among conflicting transfers when the requirements of Section 205 are satisfied.
U.S. copyright recordation remains a U.S. procedure.
Recording a copyright assignment with the Copyright Office does not update copyright ownership records in every other country.
21. Does Recordation Prove That an Assignment Is Legally Valid?
Not necessarily.
Recordation and legal validity are different questions.
The underlying transaction must first satisfy the law governing the transfer.
Recordation then updates or creates a public record according to the rules of the relevant office.
The USPTO treats patent assignment recordation as a ministerial function and does not determine that the assignment is legally valid merely because the document has been accepted for recordation.
The same principle applies to trademark assignment records.
Madrid similarly separates centralized recordation from the domestic legal effect of the ownership change in each designated member.
A more reliable sequence is:
First: determine whether the underlying transaction legally transferred the rights.
Second: determine which international, national, or regional records should be updated.
Recordation should not be treated as a substitute for a legally sufficient assignment agreement.
22. What Documents May Be Required for International Recordation?
Documentation requirements vary considerably among systems and jurisdictions.
Depending on the intellectual property and country, the recordation package may require an executed assignment, short-form assignment, merger certificate, name-change certificate, corporate registry extract, power of attorney, notarized signature, legalization, apostille, certified translation, declaration, government form, registration number, application number, evidence of successor status, and official fees.
Centralized WIPO procedures may require less supporting documentation than certain national offices.
For example, an ordinary Madrid ownership-change request generally does not require the parties to submit the underlying assignment agreement itself.
Local offices may impose substantially different requirements.
The transaction file and the recordation filing package should therefore be treated as related but distinct sets of documents.
23. What Happens If an Assignment Is Not Recorded?
There is no single worldwide consequence.
The effect of failing to record an assignment depends on the type of intellectual property, applicable jurisdiction, and legal system.
Potential problems can include outdated ownership records, incomplete chain of title, acquisition delays, investor concerns, difficulties before an IP office, maintenance issues, enforcement complications, priority problems, financing delays, inconsistent international records, and difficulty proving ownership to marketplaces, customs authorities, or commercial partners.
Certain legal systems provide specific consequences.
U.S. patent law can create priority issues involving certain subsequent purchasers.
U.S. copyright recordation can provide qualifying constructive-notice and priority benefits.
Failure to record should therefore not be described as automatically invalidating the transfer.
The consequences should be evaluated according to the particular right and jurisdiction.
24. How Should Ownership Changes Be Managed After an Acquisition?
An acquisition can generate hundreds of post-closing intellectual property tasks.
The process should begin with the final transaction documents and asset schedules.
Counsel can then determine exactly which rights changed ownership.
The recordation project may include U.S. trademarks, Madrid registrations, foreign national trademarks, U.S. patents, PCT applications, national patent applications, foreign patents, Hague international designs, national design registrations, copyrights, domains, licenses, and security interests.
Each asset can then be organized according to its current owner, new owner, jurisdiction, registration system, transaction type, recordation procedure, supporting documents, government fees, local-counsel requirements, filing status, and updated public record.
A global acquisition is therefore not complete from an IP-administration perspective merely because the acquisition agreement contains a broad assignment clause.
The transaction agreement transfers the rights.
The post-closing recordation project aligns the relevant public records with that transaction.
25. How Should a Global Recordation Project Be Organized?
A structured recordation project can reduce duplicate work and inconsistent ownership records.
Step 1: Confirm the Corporate Event
Determine whether the underlying event is an assignment, merger, name change, entity conversion, restructuring, license, or acquisition.
Step 2: Build the Asset List
Identify registrations, applications, countries, international registrations, current owners, and relevant intellectual property offices.
Step 3: Verify Chain of Title
Confirm that the transferor identified in the transaction actually owns the rights being transferred.
Missing intermediate assignments may need to be addressed first.
Step 4: Separate International Systems From National Rights
Distinguish Madrid registrations, Hague registrations, PCT applications still in international phase, national trademarks, national patents, national designs, and copyrights.
Step 5: Identify Centralized Filing Opportunities
Determine whether WIPO can process one ownership change across multiple designated jurisdictions.
Step 6: Identify Country-Specific Exceptions
Even where centralized filing is available, determine whether particular jurisdictions require additional local action.
Step 7: Prepare Local Documentation
Coordinate powers of attorney, translations, notarization, legalization, apostilles, corporate evidence, and other local requirements.
Step 8: File and Docket
Track each recordation request through completion.
Step 9: Verify the Public Record
Submission does not always mean that the registry has reflected the change correctly.
The resulting ownership record should be checked.
Step 10: Update the Internal Portfolio
The company’s internal IP docket should ultimately match the official registers.
This creates an auditable chain of title and recordation history across the portfolio.
26. How Can Cohn Legal Help With International IP Recordation?
Cohn Legal, PLLC assists businesses with intellectual property ownership, assignments, transactional recordation, and international portfolio coordination.
An engagement can begin by determining what transaction occurred, which rights are affected, where those rights are registered, whether ownership actually changed, whether the event was instead a corporate name or address change, whether WIPO provides a centralized procedure, and whether additional local filings are required.
Cohn Legal can assist with IP ownership review, chain-of-title analysis, assignment documentation, post-closing recordation, corporate name changes, merger-related updates, Madrid ownership changes, Madrid holder-detail changes, Madrid license recordation, Hague ownership changes, PCT Rule 92bis changes, U.S. trademark assignments, U.S. patent assignments, U.S. copyright recordation, foreign trademark and patent coordination, local-counsel coordination, recordation matrices, ownership verification, record corrections, and portfolio cleanup following acquisitions or restructurings.
For jurisdictions requiring local filings or local-law analysis, Cohn Legal can coordinate with appropriate foreign counsel as part of the broader recordation project.
The objective is not to promise one worldwide filing.
It is to create one coordinated international strategy so the appropriate official records accurately reflect the company’s current ownership structure.
Discuss an International IP Recordation Project
Speak With an Intellectual Property Attorney
FAQ
International IP Assignment & Recordation Frequently Asked Questions
What does global IP recordation mean?
Global IP recordation generally refers to coordinating ownership and other record changes across intellectual property rights in multiple jurisdictions.
It does not mean there is one universal worldwide IP registry.
Is there one WIPO form that transfers all intellectual property worldwide?
No.
WIPO administers different international systems for different rights.
Madrid concerns trademarks.
Hague concerns industrial designs.
The PCT concerns international patent applications.
Copyright has no WIPO international assignment registry.
Does signing one global IP assignment automatically update government records?
No.
An assignment may transfer rights according to its terms and applicable law, but separate recordation procedures may be required to update official ownership records.
What is an IP assignment?
An assignment transfers an ownership interest in intellectual property from one person or entity to another.
The required formalities depend on the type of IP and governing law.
Is an assignment the same as a company name change?
No.
An assignment changes ownership.
A company name change generally leaves the same legal entity as owner under a different name.
The appropriate recordation procedure may therefore be different.
Does a merger count as an IP assignment?
A merger can result in ownership changing by operation of law or another legal mechanism.
The characterization and required documentation depend on the merger and applicable law.
IP records should be reviewed after the transaction.
Can multiple Madrid registrations be updated through WIPO?
Potentially.
WIPO’s Madrid management tools permit certain ownership and holder-detail changes affecting multiple international registrations when the applicable requirements are satisfied.
Can a Madrid trademark be assigned in only certain countries?
Yes.
A partial Madrid ownership change can involve only specified designated members.
Can a Madrid registration be assigned for only certain goods or services?
Yes.
Madrid permits partial ownership changes covering specified goods or services.
Can anyone become the new owner of a Madrid registration?
No.
The transferee must have the required nationality, domicile, or commercial-establishment connection with a Madrid System member.
Does WIPO require the full trademark assignment agreement for a Madrid ownership change?
Generally, the underlying assignment document is not submitted as part of the ordinary Madrid ownership-change procedure.
The transfer itself should still be properly documented independently.
Does Madrid recordation prove the assignment is valid everywhere?
No.
The effect of an ownership change within a particular designated Madrid member remains subject to that jurisdiction’s applicable law.
Can a Madrid trademark license be recorded?
Yes.
WIPO permits qualifying licenses relating to Madrid international trademark registrations to be recorded.
Is Madrid license recordation mandatory?
The international recordation procedure is generally optional.
Whether a local filing is required or advisable depends on the law of the applicable designated jurisdiction.
Does Madrid license recordation have effect in every country?
No.
Some Madrid members do not recognize WIPO license recordation as having domestic effect.
Separate local procedures may therefore be necessary.
Does WIPO publish the entire trademark license agreement?
The underlying commercial license agreement ordinarily is not submitted with the standard Madrid license-recordation request.
Specified license information is recorded in the International Register.
Can a U.S. Madrid registration ownership change be filed directly through USPTO Assignment Center?
Ownership changes involving the underlying Madrid international registration generally proceed through WIPO’s International Bureau rather than through the ordinary domestic USPTO assignment process.
What is the Hague System?
The Hague System is WIPO’s international registration framework for industrial designs.
It provides centralized filing and management procedures for qualifying international design registrations.
Can ownership of a Hague international design registration be changed through WIPO?
Yes.
WIPO provides a procedure for recording ownership changes affecting Hague international registrations.
Can Hague holder names and addresses be updated?
Yes.
WIPO provides a separate procedure for holder-detail changes.
Can an industrial design license be recorded through the Hague International Register?
No.
Hague does not provide a procedure for recording licenses in its International Register.
Local procedures may need to be considered in relevant jurisdictions.
Does a Hague ownership change automatically have effect everywhere?
Not necessarily.
Individual Hague members may impose additional requirements or determine that a recorded change does not have effect locally under applicable rules and domestic law.
Can WIPO change the applicant on a PCT application?
During the international phase, PCT Rule 92bis permits the International Bureau to record specified applicant and other changes.
What is the deadline for a PCT Rule 92bis change?
A Rule 92bis request generally must reach the International Bureau within 30 months from the priority date.
Is there a centralized WIPO patent-assignment system after national-phase entry?
Not generally.
Once PCT applications proceed into national or regional phases, ownership and recordation issues generally must be addressed under the procedures of the relevant national or regional offices.
Can patent licenses be recorded with the USPTO?
The USPTO accepts certain patent license and security-interest documents for recordation.
That U.S. recordation does not update foreign patent offices.
Does patent assignment recordation prove ownership?
Not by itself.
USPTO recordation is ministerial and does not establish the legal validity of the underlying assignment merely because the document was accepted for recording.
Is there an international copyright ownership database?
No.
WIPO does not operate a global copyright registration or ownership database.
Can copyright assignments be recorded in the United States?
Yes.
The U.S. Copyright Office accepts qualifying copyright transfers and other copyright-related documents for recordation.
Is U.S. copyright recordation mandatory?
Generally, no.
Recordation can nevertheless provide statutory benefits involving public notice and priority between conflicting transfers when the statutory requirements are satisfied.
Are U.S. copyright assignment records public?
Recorded Copyright Office documents generally become part of the public record.
Can a company name change be recorded with the U.S. Copyright Office?
Qualifying documents involving changes of name or address may be submitted through the Copyright Office’s recordation system.
Do international recordation requirements differ by country?
Yes.
Countries can impose different requirements involving forms, signatures, powers of attorney, translations, notarization, apostilles, legalization, fees, deadlines, and local representatives.
Do I need local counsel in every country?
Not necessarily.
Some filings can be completed centrally or directly.
Other jurisdictions may require or make it advisable to involve local counsel.
The project should identify where local assistance is actually necessary.
Can one short-form assignment be used internationally?
Sometimes, but not universally.
A short-form assignment can be useful for recordation, but individual jurisdictions may impose different formal requirements.
Should recordation requirements be considered before closing?
Yes.
Advance planning can help ensure required signatures, corporate records, powers of attorney, translations, and other supporting documents are available while the transaction parties remain accessible.
Can an ownership discrepancy delay an acquisition?
Yes.
Buyers and investors commonly review chain of title.
An outdated register does not necessarily prove the seller lacks ownership, but it can require additional documentation and explanation.
Should ownership records be checked after filing?
Yes.
The final registry should be reviewed to confirm that the intended owner and transaction have been reflected correctly.
Is recordation the same as correcting an error?
No.
An ownership transfer, corporate name change, and correction of a registry error are different events and may require different procedures.
Can recordation fix a defective assignment?
Not necessarily.
Recording an assignment generally does not cure defects in the underlying legal transfer.
How long does international recordation take?
There is no universal processing time.
Timing depends on the right, jurisdiction, portfolio size, documentation, office processing, irregularities, and whether local counsel is involved.
How much does an international recordation project cost?
Costs depend on the number and types of assets, jurisdictions, ownership events, government fees, translations, formalities, and local-counsel requirements.
Centralized systems can reduce duplication in some circumstances but do not eliminate local costs in every country.
Can one recordation project cover trademarks and patents?
Yes as a coordinated project.
The underlying filings may still involve different systems, such as Madrid ownership changes, national trademark assignments, PCT Rule 92bis requests, national patent recordations, Hague ownership changes, and copyright filings.
Should recordation happen before or after an IP portfolio audit?
Either may be appropriate.
Where ownership is uncertain, an IP portfolio audit may first identify inconsistencies.
The recordation project can then address the rights requiring correction or updating.
Learn About IP Portfolio Audits
Should assignments be drafted before beginning recordation?
Yes when an ownership transfer is required.
Recordation generally follows the underlying legal transaction rather than replacing it.
Learn About IP Agreements & Transactions
Can Cohn Legal coordinate foreign counsel for international recordation?
Yes.
Where local filings or local-law analysis are required, Cohn Legal can coordinate the recordation project with appropriate foreign counsel rather than assuming a centralized WIPO filing resolves every jurisdiction.
Keep International Ownership Records Aligned With the Transaction
Signing an assignment, completing an acquisition, closing a merger, or changing a corporate name can be only the beginning of an international IP ownership project.
The next question is:
What official records need to change?
The answer depends on the rights involved.
A Madrid trademark may permit centralized WIPO ownership recordation.
A Hague industrial design may permit a centralized ownership update but not international license recordation.
A PCT application may permit a Rule 92bis change during the international phase, while national-phase patent rights require separate procedures.
Copyright ownership may require national recordation rather than any WIPO registry.
The objective should therefore not be one supposed global filing.
It should be:
One coordinated international strategy that identifies the correct filing for each right and each jurisdiction.
Cohn Legal assists businesses with international IP recordation, assignment strategy, chain-of-title review, ownership updates, WIPO procedures, national-office coordination, and post-closing portfolio management.
