A Standalone Designation For Jersey Under WIPO’s Madrid System

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has confirmed that, as of 1 August 2026, Jersey will become its own independent designation under the Madrid System for the international registration of trade marks.

Jersey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, which is not part of the United Kingdom but enjoys strong constitutional and historical links. Jersey is a leading offshore finance hub and so this development may be of particular interest to brands operating in the financial services sector. Other key industries in Jersey include agriculture, fishing, tourism, construction and legal services, as well as growing digital and technology sectors.

For brand owners looking to protect their trade marks in Jersey after 1 August 2026:

• A designation of the UK under the Madrid System will no longer cover Jersey. Instead, from 1 August 2026, for new applications for international registration (IR), renewals of existing IRs, or subsequent delegations within existing IRs, a separate designation for Jersey is required.
• Jersey will now have its own ‘Office of Origin’. From 1 August 2026, designations of Jersey under an IR and new applications for IRs which are based on a Jersey home registration will be administered by the newly established Jersey Registrar of Intellectual Property.

All IRs in existence before 1 August 2026 which designate the UK will continue to cover Jersey. After the go-live date, WIPO will automatically record a separate Jersey designation within each IR which covers the UK, without IR holders needing to take any action. However from that point onwards, the UK and Jersey designations will operate independently of each other, under the umbrella of the international registration.

Portfolio managers are advised to ensure that records are updated to capture the new Jersey designations once created and to review IR renewal dates. Brand owners should carefully check all IR renewal reminders and instructions going forward, as after 1 August both the UK and Jersey will need to be selected in the renewal application in order for protection under an IR designating the UK to continue across the same geographic territory as before.

At time of writing, WIPO has yet to publish the specific individual fees for filings and renewals of Jersey designations.

These changes are part of a wider programme of reform and modernisation of the frameworks for the protection of intellectual property in Jersey, which will include the option going forward to file standalone trade mark applications directly in Jersey, removing the current dependency on a UK parent trade mark.

If you require any further advice in relation to this announcement, please contact your usual Boult trade mark adviser.