Brand owners can directly register trade marks with intellectual property (IP) offices in the countries and regions where they seek protection. Alternatively, they can file an international application through the Madrid system.
Taking IP global: the Madrid system
The Madrid route provides a streamlined way for applicants to seek protection in multiple jurisdictions through a single application. To make it easier and quicker for Australian applicants to use the Madrid System, IP Australia adopted WIPO’s Madrid Goods and Services List in March 2024.Direct filings have grown faster than Madrid filings for 3 consecutive years and reached a new high in 2025. (see Figure 3.6). In 2025:
- 80,133 direct applications were filed (+15.3%)
- 17,212 Madrid designations were received (+4.8%)
The Madrid framework is explicitly designed to facilitate trade mark protection beyond the applicant’s home jurisdiction. Direct filing remains the most practical route for domestic protection, and therefore may be more indicative of trends in domestic brand activity.
Direct applications by overseas applicants also increased by 15.3% in 2025. These applications represent an increasing share of total filings – from 43.1% in 2022 to 58.6% in 2025. The pattern mirrors trends observed globally, with use of the Madrid system peaking in 2021, and having since declined.1
The increased share in direct filings may suggest more deliberate and prioritised engagement with Australia as a destination market. However, it most likely reflects change in the origin of trade mark filings. European applicants overwhelmingly use the Madrid system when filing in Australia. US and UK applicants are more balanced in their approaches. Chinese applicants (the largest driver of filing growth in Australia) tend to file directly.2
Madrid filings typically reach IP Australia around 3.5 months after the international application is first filed. As such, 2025 Madrid volumes partly reflect global conditions in late 2024.
Figure 3.4
Trade mark applications in Australia by filing route, 2016 to 2025Endnotes
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Madrid Yearly Review 2025: International Registration of Marks 2025.
- European countries tend to predominantly file in Australia through the Madrid system, such as Italy (92% of filings via Madrid system), France (91%), and Germany (92%). Major trading partners, including the US and UK are amongst the most balanced in their approaches (55% of filings from US are via the Madrid system and 60% for the UK). Geographically closer nations tend to file directly, such as New Zealand (just 15% of filings are via Madrid) and China (13.2%).