Caribbean

Trademark legislation is going through something of a revamp in the Caribbean. In the early 2000s new trademark laws came into force in numerous jurisdictions, including St Lucia, Jamaica and Anguilla, and the Dominican Republic updated its trademark regime in 2009. The advantages and disadvantages of joining the Madrid Protocol continue to spark debate in the region. So far, Antigua & Barbuda is the only Caribbean signatory to the protocol, although a recent agreement between the European Commission and the CARIFORUM countries requires all members to sign up to the protocol and the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks. Law firms in the region typically provide a range of high-quality trademark services as part of a wider corporate offering for international clients. Each also attracts a steady stream of referrals from law firms based abroad. The rankings are not divided into tiers in order to reflect this similarity across the market.