274 Product Patent Cases Recorded In Malaysian Court

PENANG, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- The High Court's Intellectual Property Division has recorded 274 cases involving product patents during the first eight months of the year, compared with 142 cases for the corresponding period last year.Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) director-general Kamel Mohamad said 91 of the cases had been solved.He said the media, universities and government agencies needed to play a bigger role in helping inventors protect their products from being copied by irresponsible individuals."The issue of copying products is caused by a lack of awareness in this country about the importance of product patents, compared with other countries," he said.He said told reporters after launching the International Conference on Electronic Design (ICED 2008) here Tuesday.The three-day conference, organised by UniMAP, brings together 100 participants, including those from Singapore and the United States, to discuss various issues regarding electronic technology as well as opportunities and challenges in overcoming problems in the field.Kamel said MyIPO was responsible for monitoring the development and management of the intellectual property system, which comprises patents, logos, industrial designs, copyrights and invention protection in Malaysia."We have carried out many awareness programmes to encourage more Malaysians to apply for patents and prevent their ideas from being copied," he said.Kamel stressed that with a patent, each inventor could ensure maximum returns from his research and development through royalties once the product is commercialised.He said there were currently 21 Intellectual Property Courts comprising 15 Sessions Courts and six High Courts (Intellectual Property Division) nationwide."The setting up of these courts is a clear indication that the government is serious about protecting the intellectual property of individuals," he said.-- BERNAMA