Myanmar passes Trademark Law and Industrial Design Law
26 February 2019
On 30 January 2019, the Myanmar Parliament passed the Trademark Law and the Industrial Design Law. The President will issue a notification designating the effective date of both laws.
The passing of the Trademark Law and the Industrial Design Law marks a step forward for Myanmar, where businesses have had to rely on colonial-era laws to protect their intellectual property such as the outdated Burma Copyright Act 1914 and a definition of “trademark” in the Penal Code 1861.
Draft laws on copyright and patents are still awaiting Parliament’s approval. This suite of laws, once passed and promulgated, is expected to bring Myanmar in line with the Trade Related Aspects of International Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS), an agreement between the member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO).