MALAYSIA: IP FUND (DANA IP 2.0)
In an attempt to help alleviate the burden placed on Malaysian entrepreneurs and to promote the creation and protection of intellectual property amongst local Malaysians, the Malaysian Government has allocated RM4 million into an intellectual property (IP) fund known as Dana IP 2.0.
The program will run between the year 2022 and 2025, where successful applicants will be given a grant which aims to provide funding for the filing of trademark, patent, utility innovation (UI), industrial design, copyright and geographical indication applications in Malaysia.
The grant will be made available for a period of time once a year for four years. In 2023 the program will be open between January to the end of October.
Eligibility
There are certain criteria on the eligibility and what types of IP application this grant applies to. Applicants will need to submit the application either manually or online. The grant is provided to successful applicants in the form of a voucher and these vouchers are only available to be used at the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO).
The scope of the grants funding will be dependent on the type of IP application being filed and will not cover all types of fees involved in the filing of IP. It is important to note that applicants are allowed only one application per year.
Who is eligible
For an applicant to be eligible for this grant they must be a Malaysian citizen who is 18 years or older or a Malaysian registered small to medium enterprise. If applicant is a primary or secondary school student, he or she must be under 18 and must be a Malaysian citizen and his/her school must be a local school. The aim of the grant program is to promote innovate thinking and increase the amount of registered IP rights in Malaysia by Malaysians. Thus, only certain groups are eligible for this grant.
It should be noted that geographical indications in this case are for local communities only.
What does the grant cover
It is important to know that the grant does not cover all fees involved in filing an IP application. Every successful application will have the official fees involved in filing an IP application form covered by the grant. From there any additional costs covered depends on the type of IP being filed.
The grant will cover the costs of:
Trademark
- Obtaining a preliminary advice and search from MyIPO;
- Filing a trademark application with MyIPO;
- Filing a request for an expedited substantive examination with MyIPO; and
- Scanning fees as charged by MyIPO.
Applicants will need to ensure they have prepared:
- Applicant’s details if there is more than one applicant;
- Documents showing the mark being applied;
- A completed form requesting preliminary advice and search; and
- Any additional supporting documents such as an SSM certificate, or a certificate from local authorities.
Patent/UI
- Filing a patent application OR a UI application with MyIPO;
- Filing a request for substantive examination with MyIPO;
- Filing an appointment of patent agent with MyIPO;
- Filing a statement for justifying applicant’s rights with MyIPO;
- Engaging a patent agent to conduct a prior art search; and
- Engaging a patent agent to draft a patent specification.
Applicants will need to ensure they have prepared:
- Details of the applicants if there is more than one applicant;
- If there are any diagrams, drawings or figures that clearly illustrate the invention these should be prepared; and
- Any additional information or supporting documents such as feature tables or literature search.
Industrial Design
- Filing an industrial design application with MyIPO;
- Filing a request for amendment of register with MyIPO; and
- Conducting a public searching of industrial design records in MyIPO.
Applicants will need to ensure they have prepared:
- Applicant’s details if there is more than one applicant;
- A copy of the design being applied. This must include at least one view from either perspective, front, bottom, top, back, or side; and
- Any additional supporting documents including an SSM certificate, or a certificate from local authorities.
Copyright
- Filing a copyright application with MyIPO.
Applicants will need to ensure they have prepared:
- Applicant’s details if there is more than one applicant;
- A completed form for the voluntary notification of copyright; and
- A copy of the work in softcopy format, this means CD, DVD, or a pen drive
- The softcopy must be no more than 3GB, and must be submitted to the Dana IP 2.0 committee within 3 working days.
- Please note the application will be rejected if no work is submitted.
Geographical Indications
- Filing a geographical indication application with MyIPO; and
- Requesting publication of acceptance of a geographical indication application with MyIPO.
As geographical indication components are not open to the general public and are limited to local communities, MyIPO, upon receiving an application, will contact the applicant directly with regards to the documents required for application.
How to Apply
As previously mentioned, an application can be made either online or manually. For an online application, the applicant should have a valid Gmail address.
When applying for Dana IP 2.0, applicants will need to prepare certain materials. If submitting an online application, make sure these materials must be in Microsoft Office, PDF, JPEG or PNG format.
Moving forward
During these unpredictable times, Dana IP 2.0 does come handy and at the right time to rejuvenate the interest of Malaysians in obtaining the IP rights and by extension to rejuvenate the economy. Therefore, we strongly recommend that all eligible Malaysian individuals, SMEs and organisations take this opportunity to apply for Dana IP 2.0.
For more information about Dana IP 2.0, please drop us an email at info@adipven.com and one of our attorneys will be in touch with you and assist you with the necessary.