On January 31, 2024, Myanmar's Intellectual Property Department (IPD) announced that it would officially start accepting industrial design applications under the Industrial Design Law on February 1, 2024.
The IPD made this public in Announcement No. 1/2024, which comes three months after the Industrial Design Law entered into force on October 31, 2023. The Industrial Design Rules, issued by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on September 29, 2023, are another key instrument regulating the registration of industrial designs in Myanmar. In addition, the MOC's Notification No. 71/2023 issued on October 27, 2023, specifies the forms required for industrial design registration and related actions, and the fees are specified by the IP Agency under Notification No. 2/2023, issued on December 29, 2023.
Industrial design owners (individuals and legal entities) can file registration applications for new industrial designs with the IPD electronically, in person (directly or through a local representative), or by post. To be registered under the Industrial Design Law in Myanmar, industrial designs must be "new," meaning that they must not have been disclosed to the public inside or outside Myanmar prior to the application date or the date of priority, if priority is claimed.
Owners who wish to apply for and enjoy statutory protection of their industrial designs in Myanmar should start preparing all necessary documents and information for filing as soon as possible.
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