30 April, 2018
Cambodia and China entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Intellectual Property Cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts (MIH) of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of China in Beijing on September 21, 2017, with the aim of further promoting mutual investments through bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The MOU constitutes an initial framework for intellectual property cooperation, and is expected to further enhance collaboration in the following areas:
- The SIPO will support the MIH in developing its patent search and examination proficiency.
- The MIH will accept patents and industrial designs granted by the SIPO.
- The two countries will establish a mutually beneficial relationship in the field of intellectual property, with cooperation in human resource development and exchange of experience and best practices.
Both parties are currently discussing the enactment of official regulations and detailed guidelines for the re-registration of patent and industrial design applications, and an official announcement is expected in due course.
The requirements to re-register patents granted by China’s SIPO are expected to be equivalent to the requirements for the re-registration of Singapore patents and designs in Cambodia, as set out in an MOU signed between the two countries in 2015, as follows:
- the Chinese patent must be translated into the Khmer language; and
- all required documents must be completed on the date that the re-registration request is filed (i.e. a Power of Attorney, a certified copy of the Certificate for Registration, and a certified copy of the final specification as granted).
For further information, please contact:
Wipaphat S. Trossel, Tilleke & Gibbins
