Malaysian IP officials gain expertise on Madrid and Hague systems

The ARISE+ IPR team delivered a two-day training session on the Madrid Protocol and the Hague System to officials at the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) on 7-8 March, furthering their knowledge of the operational aspects of the two systems.

The training covered procedures under each system that would need to be implemented by MyIPO, as well as considerations for accession, including legal, institutional, IT and stakeholder engagement aspects. Participants were interested to learn more about procedural timelines and fees, and other specific requirements under the systems.

In his opening remarks, MyIPO Deputy Director General, Strategic & Technical, Encik Zulkarnain bin Muhammad stated that the Madrid and Hague systems serve as an opportunity for trademark owners and designers to protect their IP internationally.

The Madrid and Hague systems offer simple, cost-effective, and efficient mechanisms to protect and manage trademarks and industrial designs, respectively.  They each require only a single application for protection in multiple jurisdictions, in one language, with one set of fees in a single currency.

The activity follows post-accession training provided to IP officials in Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Indonesia in August 2018.