On 27 September 2019, Malaysia became the latest country to join the Madrid Protocol which provides for the international registration of trade marks. It became the 106th Member of the Protocol, which now covers 122 countries.
Applicants from any of the 106 Members, including Australia, will now be able to file multi-national trade mark applications designating Malaysia through a single trade mark application to their respective Trade Marks Offices. Holders of existing international registrations will now also be able to extend them to designate Malaysia.
This long-awaited news came after the Parliament of Malaysia passed the Trade Mark Bill 2019 and the Trade Descriptions (Amendment) Bill 2019 on 2 July 2019.
Myanmar is now the only ASEAN country that is not yet a member of the Protocol and it will be interesting to see any future developments in this area. More information is available here.
The Protocol will enter into force in Malaysia on 27 December 2019. If you would like to find out more about the Madrid Protocol or are interested in protecting your trade mark in Malaysia, please contact Anita Brown, Michael Squires or Ye Rin Yoo.