Dear Clients,
We have previously made an announcement regarding Myanmar soft opening period from October 1, 2020 which was expected to last for 6 months, or until March 31, 2021. We previously expect that the grand opening date will be on April 1, 2021 but subject to further official announcement.
Until now, there is still no announcement regarding the grand opening date and the official fees for trademark registration under the new law. Furthermore, as the client may be aware of, Coup d’état happened in Myanmar on early morning of February 1, 2021. The Military has taken power from then. Although the Military promises that they will continue all the policy made by the dismissed parliament, the government employees also launched Civil Disobedience Movement. Many governmental offices are not functioning properly.
For the Myanmar IP Office (MIPO), according to the new trademark law, IP Central Committee and IP Agency must be formed. However, IP Central Committee and IP Agency formed by the previous government is no longer in place. In addition, the related Rules and Regulations must be issued before the new trademark law comes into force.
As April 1, 2021 is only a week away, we expect that the enforcement date of the law may be postponed until the completion of the above process. However, there is still no official announcement regarding this matter.
Under this situation, we expect that the soft opening period will continue. Please note that this is merely our own estimation. If our estimation is correct, the trademark owners may still have time to firstly file their trademark under old system at the Office of Registry of Deeds (ORD) to be eligible for re-filing during the soft opening period. Despite our aforesaid, the ORD Office is still not operating at this moment due to the Stay Home Order for the COVID-19 outbreak and the Civil Disobedience Movement.
We shall keep you informed of further official announcement, if any.
Contact Person: Ms. Pritsadee Buranavorakul
Foreign Trademark Department
trademark@siasia.co.th
