Myanmar does not currently have any IP Laws. IP rights are protected by the filing of a Declaration of Ownership with the Registry of Deeds, and the publication of a Cautionary Notice in a local newspaper, in order to alert third parties to the existence of an IP right.   On 30th January 2019, a new trade mark law was passed by the Myanmar Parliament. It will enter into force after an Intellectual Property Office is established. We are pleased to report that after many delays, the...

On 13th August 2020, the United Kingdom ratified the Paris Convention on behalf of its Crown Dependencies, Jersey and Guernsey. The extension of the UK’s membership of the Convention to Jersey and Guernsey will enter into force on 13th November 2020. However, this development will have little effect for the holders of IP rights. Guernsey’s trade mark law, which has been in force since 2006, recognises priority claims made when filing trade marks in Guernsey, so there is no real change. ...

Pursuant to our recent article about the introduction of a new trade mark law in Myanmar, we have just been advised that the “soft opening period” will begin on 1st October 2020. The soft opening period will last 6 months, during which the IPO will accept applications for trade marks which have been recorded at the Registry of Deeds under the current system of trade mark protection in Myanmar. All applications filed in the soft opening period will receive a filing date of the date on which the...