Industrial Design And Plain Packaging

The government wants to introduce plain packaging for cigarette boxes to curb the habit amongst Malaysians. Are they infringing on any corporate rights? Business FM have a chat with Chew Phye Keat, President of the Malaysian Intellectual Property Association (MIPA) and Joshinae Wong, Partner at Christina Chia Law Chambers (CCLC) to have a better comprehension of what is at stake here.

Highlights of NIPC 2014

National Intellectual Property Convention 2014

HARNESSING IP TOWARDS HIGH INCOME NATION

The four-day Convention, organized by MIPA and supported by MyIPO, themed ‘Harnessing IP towards High Income Nation' comprises of a one-day National Conference, a half-day SME IP Forum and two Master Classes conducted over two days.

The one-day National Conference will feature eminent speakers who are practitioners and thought leaders in their respective industries. They will be sharing their invaluable knowledge and experience and speaking on a wide range of topics.

The half-day SME IP Forum is an event where services and products, from many organisations of different sectors, are provided free of charge to the public. Plenty of networking opportunities are readily available and delegates are able to obtain information and advise freely.

The two Master Classes will be focused on Patent Drafting: Answering Adverse Reports; and Commercialisation and Licensing. Industry leaders will be conducting the Master Classes and each Master Class will delve into its respective topics in great detail.

MIPA Trademark Symposium

MIPA is organising a Trademark Symposium titled 'Malaysian Landscape for Trademark Evolution' on 25/07/2013.

This Symposium brings together industry experts from various backgrounds such as an IP owner, an IP and Trademark agent and the head of a Trademark section.

Aimed at Entrepreneurs, Investors, IP Agents, Legal Experts, Government Agencies and Corporates with IP Trademarks & Patents, this Symposium provides the perfect platform for IP owners and IP practitioners to discuss issues related to trademark branding.

Various topics will be discussed during this half-day Symposium including the dilemma of uniqueness for trademark and branding, acceptable and unacceptable trademarks and the challenges faced by brand owners. I am invited as one of the speaker.

For more information, follow this link

Protecting Intangibles

WHEN formulating an idea to develop a product, you spend a great deal of time to conceptalise and finally create it. It would be a sad story if you didn’t take measures to protect it. Anything that’s the result of your mind’s creation is intellectual property (IP) and protecting it is a sure way to avoid one major business blunder that includes copyright issues which can lead to losses.

It’s more discernible for physical products, but intangible assets are also described as “property” because it can be owned, sold and transferred just like property. Thus, the IP owner has every right to prevent any unauthorised use or sale of his property. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), IP refers to innovation, inventions, literary and artistic works, images, designs and even phrases and names. These assets must have their own IP rights that include either copyrights, trademarks, patents and industrial design rights.

“Many people aren’t aware that they own intellectual property as they assume only big companies are the ones who safeguard their assets. But anything that is unique to the individual’s creation is already IP,” explained Malaysian Intellectual Property Association (MIPA) president Peter Desmond Wee Tian Peng.

There are serious ramifications if an individual fails to protect his IP. Some of these are theft and copying from others; loss of reputation (where someone may use your work and name for their own benefit but in inappropriate ways); a loss of income and a general devaluation of your assets because it has lost its uniqueness and innovative value due to replications and brand dilution.
With this in mind, MIPA aims to build a strong IP partnership and networking among all IP owners, users, practitioners and stakeholders as well as people in the IP business community.
“We see MIPA as a platform to work together with the IP industry and the government namely the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism and the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) to raise awareness in all IP related innovations and inventions: beginning from creation, management to commercialisation on a proactive basis,” said Wee at the association’s cocktail gathering and networking session between IP owners, users practitioners and stakeholders recently.

MIPA will also play a front-line role in announcing new laws or policies of the government to its members and the IP business community. “MIPA will focus on conducting IP valuation courses and training programmes. As one of the IP stakeholders for MyIPO, we’ll work hand in hand with the corporation in this aspect of IP valuation training exercises and see how to establish a board of valuers where to certify and appoint qualifying IP valuers. The association has already finalised its 2013 calendar of events that include annual conferences, workshop seminars and networking sessions.

It recently held its first workshop on “Managing your IP Assets” with IP practitioners. We’ve also appointed Fabulous Association Management Company, an as our partner for all our subsequent programmes. Fabulous AMC shares the same vision as us to increase interaction with the members and business community,” said Wee. - The Star

MIPA 22nd AGM 2012

The 22nd Annual General Meeting of Malaysian Intellectual Property Association (MIPA) was held on 26th June 2012 at Royal Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur. Election was held and the new line up of office bearers and executive committee members are:

President
Peter Desmond Wee

Vice President
Dr Koshy Philip

Honorary secretary
Dennis BL Tan

Honorary treasurer
Robin Low

Executive committee members
Dr Chris Hemingway
Lee Lin Li
Lim Bee Yi
Naidu Appanan
Ong Boo Seng

I wish to express appreciation towards former MIPA exco for having confidence in me to pick up the position of honorary secretary. I will do my best to carry on the good work and legacy that you have created. I will be reachable and open to MIPA members for any feedback to improve the organization.

2012 National Intellectual Property Day will be held in Sultan Ahmad Shah International Convention Centre (SASICC), Kuantan. Intellectual Property Day is an initiative by the government to promote and increase awareness of intellectual property. There will be sixty organizations participating the event on 27 & 28 April 2012. Malaysian Intellectual Property Association (MIPA) is invited to be part of the event. There are various activities organized for the public.

27 & 28 April 2012, IP Exhibition, Exhibition Hall 1

28 April 2012
9 am National IP Day Award, Ballroom (by invitation)
2 pm Public Seminar on Copyright, Silk Hall
2 pm Public Seminar on Trademark, Cashmere Hall
2.30 pm Retro Star Competition, Exhibition Hall 1
8.30 pm Intellectual Property Concert, Padang Taman Kemunting

The latest amendment on Copyright Act and Regulations may be presented during the public seminar. For more information, visit MyIPO.

President of MIPA in BFM

Chew Phye Keat, President of the Malaysian Intellectual Property Association, says Malaysia's IP laws are robust but there's a perception that enforcement is lax, and awareness is still low.


In another BFM interview, he uses examples to explain the practical aspects of the Competition Act. While the Act is meant to encourage competition and prevent abuse of position by dominant player like government-linked companies, government policy can still over ride the Act.

MIPA IP Conference

The road to becoming an IP nation is a path that Malaysia wishes to walk to become a high income nation. What are the challenges to increasing innovation in Malaysia? What we can learn from the American and Japanese experience?

The Malaysian Intellectual Property Association (MIPA) is proud to host an Intellectual Property conference to present the latest issues and development of IP.

How to create and build a strong brand? Malaysia may join Madrid Protocol this year. What are the implication of Madrid Protocol to trademark owners?

Technology search, green technology, investing in IP and other informative intellectual property matters which creates an impact in Malaysia's innovation landscape are presented in this two day event on 22 & 23 June 2011, Empire Hotel, Subang Jaya.

Come listen to experts from USA, Japan, academicians, IP practitioners, MyIPO board member and representative from the newly formed UNIK corporation. It is a not to be missed event for business leaders, intellectual property owners, corporate counsel & lawyers interested in one of Asia's most dynamic countries.

Register before 31.05.2011 for early bird rate. For more information, visit mipa.org.my