On 11 March 2019, the Myanmar Parliament enacted the Pyidaungsu
Hluttaw Law No. 7/2019 ("Patent Law") heralding the dawn
of a new era in patent registration in Myanmar. Whilst the new
Trade Mark Law passed on 30 January 2019 is expected to come into
force this year, the new Patent Law is pending and will come into
operation only upon notification from the President of Myanmar.
The new patent regime is welcome news for both corporations and
aspiring inventors. Traditionally, businesses in Myanmar have
relied on colonial-era laws to protect their intellectual property.
Patent rights were recognised by the Myanmar Registration Office
upon receipt of a Declaration of Ownership of Patent based on a
granted corresponding patent. It is also incumbent on the patent
proprietor to publish a notice in a local newspaper every three
years to assert ownership of their patent. The absence of an
official framework for patent registration has imposed difficulties
for patent owners to
