BruIPO Opens for Business
30 August 2013
The administration of intellectual property law in Brunei is changing rapidly, as the country’s newly established intellectual property office opened on June 1, 2013. The Brunei Intellectual Property Office (BruIPO) was set up through a joint effort between the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) and the Attorney General’s Chambers. Transferring authority to BruIPO began with the establishment of the Patent Registry Office on January 1, 2012, under the BEDB, which was followed by the transfer of the Registry of Industrial Designs on October 1, 2012, and the Registry of Trademarks on June 1, 2013. As of July 1, 2013, all applications for the registration of trademarks, patents and industrial designs should be lodged at BruIPO.
BruIPO expects to ecourage innovation, research and development and commercialization and to “promote and develop an ‘IP culture’ where creativity and innovation can flourish,” as well as raising awareness on the benefits and protection of trademarks and industrial designs and to use them to enhance business growth and competitiveness, according to a statement on the office website.
“The restructuring is aimed at fostering better policy coordination and enhancing the efficiency of Brunei Darussalam’s IP administration,” said a BruIPO statement. “Despite being a late starter, Brunei Darussalam is fully committed to implementing the appropriate mechanisms for the protection of intellectual property rights in the country.”
