The Central Committee of Intellectual Property Rights (CCIPR), established by the Union Government of Myanmar on September 30, 2021, has communicated that the new Trade Mark Law and Trade Mark Rules including the release of official fees and Forms will take effect in March 2023, and the Grand Opening of Intellectual Property Office will take place on April 26, 2023.
This marks the beginning of Phase 2 of the Soft-Opening Period (SOP) during which registered or used marks are eligible for refiling. The difference with Phase 1 of the SOP is that payment of the official fees and forms including TM2 Form will be made available. All trade marks filed during Phase 2, as in Phase 1, will be given a common filing date, i.e., the first day of the Grand Opening of Intellectual Property Office which is April 26, 2023.
It remains unclear whether applicants will be able to file new applications on April 26, 2023, although we believe they will. We expect further clarifications on this point in the coming weeks based on which we will update you.
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