A report published by the Malaysian outlet BusinessToday on 1 October 2026 indicates that the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) is working towards amendments involving 7 key intellectual property Acts, so that the country's framework keeps pace with changes in technology and business; no formal amendment text or bill has been seen so far, which makes this a policy signal and not a new rule already in force. The direction had been prepared earlier. On 2 December 2025, MyIPO Director General Yusnieza Syarmila Yusoff said that 7 Acts were to be amended from 2026, with the aim of aligning protection standards, strengthening enforcement and improving intellectual property mechanisms, in line with international standards and trade agreements.
The Acts are the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia Act 2002, the Trademarks Act 2019, the Patents Act 1983, the Copyright Act 1987, the Layout-Designs of Integrated Circuits Act 2000, the Geographical Indications Act 2022 and the Industrial Designs Act 1996.
On artificial intelligence, MyIPO noted at a national dialogue in August 2025 that current laws protect human creators and that, as content, inventions and designs are increasingly generated with AI, the critical issue is who owns the rights when a creation is produced entirely by a machine, so that it must be assessed whether new provisions, exceptions or limitations are needed.
Copyright is the most advanced strand: on 3 July 2026 MyIPO issued a public consultation paper on amending the Copyright Act 1987, open for comments until 14 August, covering the use of works for AI training and whether and under what conditions AI-generated output may be protected, but no bill has been tabled in Parliament and no timetable has been given.
As to its own operations, when presenting the MyIPO NextGen transformation plan, the strategic plan for 2025 to 2030, on 30 April 2026, the responsible minister said that new technologies including AI would be adopted to make the examination of applications more efficient and services faster.
J&C notes that companies with patents, trade marks, designs or copyright interests in Malaysia do not need to change their filing or enforcement practice at this stage, because the current laws continue to apply; what should be followed is when draft amendments to each Act are published, whether further consultations are held, and how they deal with ownership of AI-generated inventions and works and with the use of works for AI training, since these points, once enacted, will affect the acquisition of rights, contract terms and enforcement there.
Source: www.businesstoday.com.my | www.sinarharian.com.my | bernama.com | www.skrine.com | thesun.my
