INTERNATIONAL IP PROTECTION IN THE MARGINS’ How Treaty Exclusion and Sanctions Create Parallel Systems of Intellectual Property Enforcement

SOODY TRONSON
STLG Law Firm

ABSTRACT

THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY protection challenges for creators in politically unrecognized or sanctioned jurisdictions, examining jurisdictions such as the State of Palestine, Taiwan, and Iran. Treaty inclusion reduces costs and administrative burdens relative to direct national filing, and comprehensive sanctions often impose the most significant practical obstacles to using IP rights. Palestinian designers face costs several times higher for multi-country protection due to an inability to use Madrid Protocol, Hague Agreement, or the Patent Cooperation Treaty ("PCT") systems. Iranian creators hold Madrid Protocol membership, yet sanctions and banking controls prevent payment of intellectual property office official fees and access to platform tools, which renders their rights difficult to exercise in practice. This article analyzes how jurisdictional status determines access to streamlined IP protection systems, creating operational disparities across different categories of exclusion. Framed as a toolkit, the strategies collected here allow applicants to preserve priority, document disclosure, enroll in platform programs, and clear payments, so that legal rights do not remain theoretical.

INTRODUCTION