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Patent Delay Inhibits Innovation in Malaysia 
Posted on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 08:12 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21-- The lengthy process and delays in patenting inventions have caused Malaysian innovators to lose interest in innovation said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal.
He said the this meant that of patents registered in Malaysia each year, only 5% were by Malaysians and the remainder were by foreigners.

"Currently, the registration process for intellectual property takes six to seven years. That is why just as we want to register it, the innovation has become the property of someone else," said the Minister after chairing a consultative council meeting on Strategic Initiative for Intellectual Property Development in Malaysia on Monday.

He said the Ministry was making efforts to shorten the time taken to register patents.

He also said another reason for the lack of interest was that Malaysian did not have the financial means, awareness and knowledge about the legal implication of patent rights.

"Before the creation can be commercialised, they need to bear patent application costs of some RM10,000, not including research and preparing detail reports which could run to hundreds of thousands of ringgit. Our society is also less aware about the commercial value of intellectual property and the type of protection they are provided," he is quoted to have said.