DEWAN NEGARA PASSED THREE BILLS; PATENT (AMENDMENT) BILL 2021, THE COPYRIGHT (AMENDMENT) BILL 2021 AND THE GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS BILL 2021

22 December 2021 – Dewan Negara today passed three more bills, namely the Patent (Amendment) Bill 2021, the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2021 and the Geographical Indications Bill 2021.

The bills were approved after the third reading by Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Rosol Wahid.

The Patent (Amendment) Bill 2021 contains 69 amended clauses that have taken into account Malaysia’s commitments in the TRIPS Agreement on public health, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This amendment is also implemented to comply with the provisions of the Budapest Treaty which will allows Malaysia to become a member of the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of the Patent Procedure.

Meanwhile, when tabling the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2021 Rosol said the amendments to the act was to ensure that the copyright law provides more efficient and effective protection in line with current demands and to fulfil the needs of the business community and stakeholders.

He said the Act 322 amendment provides suitable copyright protection including implementing allowed exceptions of rights and international ratification.

The amendment is also to prepare Malaysia to join the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access To Published Works For Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired Or Otherwise Print Disabled (Marrakesh Treaty) to acknowledge the rights of visually impaired individuals to obtain works in accessible format copy.

Meanwhile, when tabling the Geographical Indications Bill 2021, Rosol said the bill had 15 sections containing 101 clauses per schedule, adding that the Geographical Indications Act 2000 (Act 602) was enacted in line with the need to protect registered or unregistered geographical indications in Malaysia, in line with the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement which was effective on 1st January 1995.