Cambodia has received the full support of members to lead the 20th session of a Working Group on the legal development of the Madrid System for the international registration of trademarks by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for 5 days from November 7- 11.

Cambodia is represented by Long Kemvichet, ambassador and permanent representative of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the WTO and other international organisations in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a November social media post, the Ministry of Commerce said: “Kemvichet is honoured that Cambodia has received the full support of members to lead this important meeting.”

Addressing the session on November 7, Kemvichet said he was determined to lead the session in a way that achieved the desired outcomes.

He added that the talks will bring further development and improvements to the Madrid system. This will make the international registration of trademarks more attractive, convenient and effective to consumers, while serving the needs of businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, who will benefit from the protection of their intellectual property.

The Madrid system is a system for the international registration of trademarks, and uses technology controlled by the WIPO. The system provides convenient and effective registration of trademarks in member countries.

The system now has 128 members, including Cambodia, who signed the Madrid Agreement associated with the international registration of marks in June 2015.

At the 20th session, the members will discuss draft amendments to laws and regulations associated with the registration of marks, as well as consult on the development of additional systems to make the system easier and more efficient for users and responsive to current needs.