Real-World Scenarios & Access

How do I protect my brand or invention outside India when I want to sell to the US or globally?

A starting point

Your Indian trademark and patent only protect you inside India, so a US buyer or a foreign copycat is outside their reach. For trademarks, use the Madrid Protocol to extend your Indian registration to multiple countries in one filing; for patents, file a PCT application within 12 months of your first Indian filing to keep the door open globally. Do not file everywhere at once: pick the two or three markets you will actually sell in, since international IP is expensive to maintain.

Go deeper

Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time.

3 resources 3 link-checked Read Use

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📄 Article

✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

Why we picked it The India-specific mechanics WIPO glosses over: you file Form MM2 through India's Trade Marks Registry, your international mark must exactly match your Indian basic mark (same logo, same applicant, goods no broader than your Indian filing), and the 'central attack' rule means if your Indian mark is cancelled in its first five years, every foreign registration falls with it. That dependency is the single biggest trap for an Indian founder, and this lays it out plainly.

Madrid Protocol India: International Trademark Guide (2026)

From Intepat by Intepat IP Services 14 min read

Central attack: an adverse action on your Indian base mark in the first 5 years cascades to every country you designated
The international mark must correspond exactly to the Indian mark in mark, applicant, and scope of goods/services
A designated country's office has up to 18 months to issue a provisional refusal before protection is deemed granted

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📄 Article

✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

Why we picked it This nails the exact cost trade-off in your answer: file the PCT within 12 months of your first Indian patent filing, then you get up to 31 months from your priority date before you must enter each country's national phase and start paying per-country agent and translation fees. That is roughly 20 months of runway to see the international search report and validate demand before spending, which is why it maps cleanly to a startup's funding cycles. Miss the 31-month deadline and Indian rights are gone with no extension.

PCT National Phase Application in India

From S.S. Rana & Co. by S.S. Rana & Co. 12 min read

File the PCT within 12 months of your first Indian filing to preserve your priority date globally
The PCT defers per-country filing and prosecution costs up to 31 months, buying time to pick markets
Missing the 31-month national phase deadline permanently loses patent rights, so calendar it hard

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🛠️ Tool

✓ Link checked Free Intermediate

Why we picked it This is the actual filing portal, not a summary of it. India joined the Madrid System in 2013, so from your existing Indian trademark you file one application through eMadrid and designate the US plus any of 132 covered countries, with one renewal date instead of chasing separate lawyers in each market. The basic fee is 653 Swiss francs plus per-country designation fees, so you see the real cost of adding markets before you commit.

The Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks

From WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) by WIPO 20 min read

You must already hold a filed or registered Indian mark to use it as the basis for the international application
One application, one renewal date, and designation fees you can price per country before adding it
Covers the US, UK, EU, UAE, China and 130+ others, so it fits founders selling globally, not just to one buyer

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