On 31 March 2022, on behalf of the Government of Malaysia, Dato' Ahmad Faisal Muhamad, the Permanent Representative of Malaysia deposited two WIPO instruments, namely the Budapest and Marrakesh Treaties. These accessions reaffirmed Malaysia continued commitment to adhere to international intellectual property treaties.
The Budapest Treaty eliminates the need to deposit multiple samples of the same biological material in different Contracting Parties to the Treaty. Malaysia's accession would reduce cost, facilitate patent procedures and promote research and development through access to deposited biological material.
Meanwhile, the Marrakesh Treaty provides an exception to copyright protection that will allow persons who are blind, visually impaired or print disabled to have access to printed materials in accessible formats. This will benefit around 51,323 visually impaired persons registered in Malaysia.
