I. General Overview
Area: About 330,000 square kilometers.
Population: 33 million (2023). Malays account for 70%, Chinese for 22.7%, Indians for 6.6%, and other ethnic groups for 0.7%. Malay is the national language; English is widely spoken, and Mandarin is widely spoken. Islam is the state religion; other religions include Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity.
In 2022, Malaysia’s main economic figures are as follows:
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $343.5 billion
GDP growth rate: 8.7%
GDP per capita: $12,040
Total import and export volume: US$633 billion

II. Treaty Membership
1. Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Convention)
Accession: 1989

2. Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Accession: 2006

3. Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol)
Accession: 2019

III. Trademark Application Procedure and Required Documents
1. Trademark Registrable Elements and Types
Elements that can be registered as trademarks in Malaysia include: text, graphics, symbols, slogans, three-dimensional logos, color combinations, sounds, etc.
The types of trademarks that can be registered in Malaysia include: trademarks, service marks, collective trademarks, and certification trademarks.

2. Filing Routes
1) National filing (direct filing)
2) Madrid International Registration

3. Required Documents
⦁ Trademark registration application form;
⦁ Applicant's name, address and nationality;
⦁ List of goods and/or services;
⦁ Clear representation of the mark;
⦁ Notarized power of attorney;
⦁ A certified copy of the priority document (if a priority is claimed).

4. Application Procedure and Timeline
Filing: The 12th edition of the Nice Classification is adopted; multiple-class are possible; the principle of first-to-use is followed.
Examination: formal examination and substantive examination; 6 months.
Publication/Opposition: The opposition period is 2 months
Registration: About 12 months from filing to registration (if smooth)

5. Protection Period and Renewal
The validity period is 10 years from the date of application and can be renewed for 10 years each time before expiration.

6. Assignment
Allowed for both pending and registered trademarks. An assignment agreement is required and the processing time is approximately 3-6 months.

7. Chang of Name/Address
Allowed for both pending and registered trademarks. Changes in name require a proof of change, while changes in address do not require a proof of change. The processing period is approximately 3-6 months.

8. Cancellation
Non-use Cancellation: If a trademark has not been used for three consecutive years, any interested party may file a cancellation request for the non-used trademark.

IV. Trademark application statistics *:
A: Statistics on total trademark applications:
2020: 37,262
2021: 40,378
2022: 37,738
B: Statistics of trademark applications from China:
2020: 3,958
2021: 4,502
2022: 4,206