Myanmar: Register now for Future Protection
18 October 2019
“Myanmar’s new trademark registration rules are nearly ready, and should be published by the end of 2019” said Moe Moe Thwe, deputy director and head of Intellectual Property Office a the Ministry of Science and Technology, Myanmar. Moe was speaking on the second day of the 2019 INTA Asia Conference: Brands in Changing Times.
Under Myanmar’s new first-to-file system, trademarks, service marks, collective marks, certification marks and geographical indicators will be protected, as will well-known marks and trade names, she said. Registration will be valid for 10 years.
Myanmar is aiming for a soft opening of the new trademark registration system by the end of 2019, Moe explained, with priority given to the nearly 200,000 marks that are currently registered under the existing scheme. “These marks have been registered through law firms in Myanmar, and these will be our priority”.
“Trademarks owners need to register their marks now through the current system” said U Myint Lwin, managing partner at U Myint Lwin Law Office in Myanmar. “Advertising your mark in a newspaper does not act as a registration, which is why it is so important to register through the Registry of Deeds” explained Myint. “If you plan to register your marks in Myanmar, don’t wait until the new system arrives, do it now” he explained.
