The new Intellectual Property Law in Myanmar came into force on April 1^st, 2023, and the Grand opening started on April 26^th, 2023. Applications that were filed during the soft opening period will have to pay official fees in order to officially be recorded on the first filing date. We encourage all right owners to secure the earliest possible filing date, that is all applications that have been filed during the soft opening should pay the official filing fees from April 1^st, 2023 until May 31^st, 2023 to secure the earliest filing date. However, due to technical issues that have occurred during the grand opening, the online filing system has been under maintenance. Therefore, the one (1) month extension to submit the notarized TM-2 forms and for payment of official filing fees for the trademark is now due on June 30, 2023.

The next steps under the New Trademark Law will enable the application to proceed to formalities examination to ensure that the application meets all the requirements for filing and the Myanmar’s Intellectual Property Department (IPD) will determine the registrability of the trademark and identify absolute grounds for refusal, if any. Once the application is approved, it will be published for opposition in sixty (60) days. If no opposition is filed or the opposition is unsuccessful, the Myanmar IPD will grant the trademark registration and issue its certificate.

Daniel Greif

South East Asia Director

[email protected]

+6621172272

Narisara Jessica Sangiumpun

Assistant Director (Thailand) & Head of Enforcement

[email protected]

+6621172272