YANGON – A new Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Myanmar has been set-up under the Ministry of Commerce of Myanmar and is anticipated to commence its operations on 20 December 2019 under a soft-opening scheme.
The soft opening will run for six (6) months from the date of the opening, during this period, the IPO will accept applications only from the owners who have registered trademarks in Myanmar, giving recognition to the existing registrations by allowing these registrations to be re-filed on a first-to-file principle. Therefore, during this period, no new applications will be received.
The re-filing requirements are as follows:
- Powers of attorney must be legalised; a late filing is allowed for 3 months from the filing date without penalty.
- A photocopy of the previously registered/renewed declaration of ownership of the trademark.
- Evidence of use of the mark in Myanmar (the evidence can be a copy of the cautionary notice that has been published in a local magazine in Myanmar, contracts, tax invoices, bills, receipts, advertising materials, etc.).
The filing requirements for filing a trademark application under the new law are as follows:
- Powers of attorney must be legalised; a late filing is allowed for 3 months from the filing date without penalty.
- A notarized declaration of ownership, a late filing is allowed for 3 months from the filing date without penalty.
The official fees for the re-filing to be announced by the IPO at a later date.
For more information, please contact info@qumsieh.com.