MyIPO opened a public consultation on 3 July 2026 on proposed amendments to Malaysia’s Copyright Act 1987, with comments due by 14 August. The package spans AI and text-and-data mining, digital enforcement and copyright commercialisation. Among the proposals are rules for the use of protected works in AI training; stronger safeguards for technological protection measures (TPMs) and rights management information (RMI); a tighter online service-provider safe harbour with a notice-and-takedown window that may be as short as 12 hours; dynamic injunctions capable of reaching mirror, clone and successor sites; and criminal powers to seize and forfeit domain names linked to infringement. Orphan works, an artist’s resale right, collective-management transparency and reform of the Copyright Tribunal are also under review.
This is not a narrow technical update. If enacted in its current direction, it could materially alter platform operations, licensing budgets and the compliance burden for AI developers. A 12-hour takedown standard would demand near-continuous complaint triage, evidence preservation and escalation procedures, while businesses training models should begin mapping data provenance, legal bases and licensing exposure now. Dynamic injunctions and domain seizures may make anti-piracy action faster, but their scope, proportionality and procedural safeguards will need careful drafting. Companies affected by the proposals have a limited window to submit practical evidence before 14 August rather than waiting for the bill to crystallise.
