Signing The Madrid Protocol Big Boost For Blue Mountain Coffee

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Audley Shaw, says Jamaica being a signatory to the Madrid Protocol will be a massive game changer for the country’s Blue Mountain coffee brand on the world stage.

Speaking at the Jamaica Coffee Exporters’ Association (JCEA) virtual strategic forum for the coffee industry on May 19, Mr. Shaw said the Protocol will see the Blue Mountain brand being registered in more than 100 countries, giving Jamaica a major foothold in some of the world’s biggest coffee-consumption markets.

“The goal of the Madrid Protocol is to offer greater protection for Jamaican products, which will foster continued business expansion and will create opportunities for our goals as a nation,” Mr. Shaw noted.

“It is something which both the Government and the Opposition are in support of,” the Minister added.

Mr. Shaw further pointed out that once the Blue Mountain brand is registered in Jamaica, the Protocol allows for it to be automatically registered in all signatory countries as opposed to having to register, single-handedly, in each individual market, and at a cost varying anywhere from US$3,000 to US$4,000.

The Madrid Protocol facilitates international registration of trademarks by way of one application that is recognised worldwide. By becoming a signatory, Jamaica could greatly assist its products by way of patenting, thus avoiding copyright breaches and other infringements.

“Operating outside the Protocol can be both an expensive and complex procedure,” the Minister said.

“The opportunity of having a single registration covering a wide range of countries offers several advantages, both in terms of portfolio management and cost savings, as opposed to a portfolio of independent national registrations,” he noted.

In the meantime, the JCEA called Mr. Shaw’s announcement “very timely” and is looking forward to Jamaica being a signatory to the Protocol, adding that it can only boost the marketability of what is already “one of the biggest coffee brands” in the world.

“The Jamaica Coffee Exporters’ Association is welcoming the passage of the Madrid Protocol in Parliament, which will allow the registration of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Brand in over 100 countries once registered in Jamaica,” said JCEA President, Norman Grant.]

“The JCEA sees this as a game changer for the coffee industry globally and will give greater protection to the Jamaica Blue Mountain Brand globally. It will also be less expensive for the coffee industry and will enhance our ability to remove imitated and fraudulent Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee from the global market,” he said.