In this column we keep you up to date on important trends in patent information from Asia and beyond. We cover recent patent law amendments, new features in search tools and other hot topics from this dynamic region. In today's issue we will focus on Malaysia, South Korea, and China.
In December 2021, the Malaysian parliament passed the Patents (Amendment) Act 2021, which stipulates comprehensive revisions to Malaysian patent legislation. Before entering into force, the draft still needs approval by the head of state.
Some of the key changes that are relevant for patent information users include the following:
You can access the IP Online Journal on the webpages of the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO). Bibliographic data on Malaysian documents are also available via the EPO's Espacenet.
The Korean Patent Office (KIPO) announced new features in IP Laws to be introduced in 2022. Some of the most important ones with regard to patents and utility models are related to appeal proceedings against a rejection:
Both regulations will enter into force as of 20 April 2022. For further information, please refer to KIPO's press release of 3 January 2022 (in Korean only).
You
can access legal event data from Korea - including data on appeal proceedings -
in either the EPO's search tools such as Espacenet or
KIPO's KIPRIS search system.
Fig. 1:
Accessing information on appeal proceedings in KIPRIS (example)
(here:
appeal against rejection dismissed)
From 5 May onwards, applicants may extend international design applications under the Hague System to the People's Republic of China. The Hague System allows applicants to obtain design protection based on a single application in up to 94 jurisdictions worldwide.
In
China, designs are also called "patents" ("design patents").
You can access information on Chinese design patents via the online gazette of
the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). A step-by-step
guide is available on the EPO's website on Asian patent
information.
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Fig. 2: The EPO's collection of guides for Chinese search tools, including a guide on accessing Chinese design patents