In March 2022, Malaysia ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. One of the central tenets of the RCEP is protection of intellectual property in and between the signatories, which include 14 other Asia-Pacific countries. To comply with the Agreement’s requirements, Malaysia strengthened its own regulations regarding IP rights:...

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In March 2022, Malaysia ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. One of the central tenets of the RCEP is protection of intellectual property in and between the signatories, which include 14 other Asia-Pacific countries. To comply with the Agreement’s requirements, Malaysia strengthened its own regulations regarding IP rights: the Patents Amendment Act and a new Geographical Indications Act came into force on 18 March, the same day the country signed the RCEP. In other news, the launch of the Intellectual Property Filing Fund 2022 was met with a positive response from the public. The Fund was created to encourage local entrepreneurs and innovators to protect their intellectual property by disbursing the cost of their applications. The programme is scheduled to run annually until 2025, and covers the official filing fees and search and drafting cost on a first-come-first-served basis.

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