WIPOD – International Trademark System Talks: Transcript of Episode 1

A History of Trademarks: From the Ancient World to the 19^th Century

Hi and welcome to International Trademark System Talks, a brand new podcast brought to you by WIPO’s Madrid System Information and Promotion Division. This podcast will give you insights into the International Trademark System, also known as the Madrid System.

My name is Olivier Pierre and I will be your host. We begin our podcast with a series of episodes where we will discuss the history of trademarks, from the middle ages to this present day.

Since ancient times, merchants have been using signs or marks in trade to distinguish their products. Registrations came much later, in the 18^th century with the establishment of Intellectual Property Offices.

In today’s episode, we’re going to discuss the known history of trademarks from Prehistoric times through the Industrial Revolution, all the way to the Paris Convention of 1883. Let’s start by taking a look at the oldest known evidence of the use of marks in trade by producers and merchants around the globe.

The use of trademarks dates back thousands of years, however we can’t date their origins with precision. Some of the earliest forms of identification of marks date from Prehistory. For instance, the Lascaux cave paintings in France show bulls drawings with marks on them. Experts believe that people were using personal marks to claim ownership of livestock, long before literate societies. That was about 15.000 years ago.