KUALA LUMPUR: The government is expected to attain an additional 4,000 application registrations once the Trademark Act 2019 comes into force this December.
The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) called for the amendment of the Act to meet the needs of the current business community alongside the development of international intellectual property.
Its minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pix) is confident that new Act which will replace the Trade Marks Act 1976 will attract more local entrepreneurs in protecting their business trade marks.
“Amendments are currently in the process ... It’s already in the Attorney General’s Chambers,” said Saifuddin.
“We know that when it is already gazetted, it will see a high demand in the number of applications of which we are preparing ourselves now to be ready for the influx,” he said at the Modernization of Trade Mark Laws in Malaysia event at the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) in Bangsar, here today.
According to Saifuddin, the new Act had been passed in Parliament in July. With that, Malaysia was able to be part of the Madrid Protocol which helped facilitate registration of local entrepreneurs and the product brands across 122 countries.
The Madrid Protocol is an international registry system administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau which helps local businesses to grow and develop abroad.
Participating countries under this Protocol include the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. With Malaysia included, local businesses are able to file protection of their brands and intellectual property.
Saifuddin added that the amended Act also clarifies some matters regarding trade marks according to practices implemented in the country.
The protection covers traditional trademark which includes elements such as logos, brands, labels, names, signatures, words, letters and numbers. Coverage is also extended to non-traditional trademarks such as sound, movement sequences, holograms, product shapes or packages, colors, smells and positions.
