A. The Madrid Protocol (Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks) establishes a trademark in a designated Contracting Party by receiving an international registration in the International Register maintained by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) International Bureau and it is a treaty that can secure protection. Japan has been a member of the Convention in 1999, and it has become possible to obtain trademark protection in foreign Contracting States with simple, quick means and at low cost. As of June 2019, 104 countries are members.