Trademark Registration in Myanmar after the Military Coup

On 1^st February 2021, the military seized the administrative power from the Myanmar government and appointed a new President and formed a new cabinet. For two months now, protests against the military coup are going on countrywide. However, despite the coup and the protests, private and public services are available, albeit limited.

Refiling of Registered Trademarks

Refiling of registered trademarks started from 1^st October 2020 under Order No. 63/2020 of the Ministry of Commerce of Myanmar (“MOC”) and it will run for a period until the effective date of the Myanmar Trademark Law 2019 (“MTL2019”) to be announced by the President of Myanmar. The period is known as the Soft Opening Period (“SOP”).

Despite the military coup, the refiling of registered trademarks through the IPD/WIPO online filing system is still possible. This means the SOP will not end on 31^st March 2021. It will still run until the effective date of MTL2019.

As of 31^st March 2021, around 38,000 registered marks have been refiled.

Abolition of the Central Committee of Intellectual Property (“CCIP”)

After the military coup, the CCIP was dissolved. As a result, the expected announcement of the rates of the official fees and the official form of the POA by the CCIP for the trademark registration under the MTL2019 is now uncertain. The announcement was originally expected in February or March 2021.

Registering New Trademarks

After the military coup, the Registry Office stopped accepting applications for registration of the DTO (Declaration of Trademark Ownership) under the old law system. As of 31^st March 2021, no new DTO could be filed with the Registry Office.