Our online trademark application process

There are three simple steps to Trademarks Malaysia’s application process.

• selecting the trademark you want to protect

• choosing the categories and products you want to protect your trademark for

• entering the trademark owner details

After you complete your trademark application, you’ll receive a receipt and confirmation of your trademark application details by email.  

Your trademark application will then be in the hands of our trusted local partner, a Malaysian Intellectual Property specialist corporation with significant experience in filing and managing Malaysian trademarks.

Our trusted local partner will confirm your trademark details are complete, and will then submit the application with the Malaysia Trademark Office within 1-2 business days.  They will keep in touch and send you regular updates and notifications.

The benefits of Trademarks Malaysia

• Affordable pricing:
  One-off application fee - no surprise “success” or registration fees.

• Country-specific:
  Designed to meet Trademark Office requirements to register a trademark - no lengthy, generic forms requiring unnecessary information.

• Better protection:
  Our smart trademark product and service picker recommends relevant products and categories, so you get the best protection for your business.

• Easy to use:
  Fully automated 3 step process, in plain English.

• Apply anytime:
  Register your trademark online at any time of the day, 24/7.

• Fast application:
  Apply in under 5 minutes.

What trademarks to protect

What trademarks to protect depends on what brands you value.

Having a trademark registration means you can stop others from using the trademark you've registered for similar products or services.  

When deciding what trademark to protect, it’s a good idea to take a look at the various brands you use in your business.  It’s likely there are some elements, like brand names or logos, that you wouldn’t want your competitors using - these are the brands you should protect.

If you want to own a word or a combination of words (such as a brand name or business name) - then apply to protect those words as a trademark. If you want to protect the look of a logo or image, then simply upload that logo and apply to protect it.

Your trademark should be original and distinctive or used for products and services which are not likely to be confused with similar trademarks.  When setting up a new business, it’s a good idea to come up with a completely unique business name or brand.

If you want to protect multiple trademarks (for example, a brand name and a logo), you need to submit separate applications.

With our service, once you have completed the first trademark application, you have the option to apply for another trademark with similar details.  The new trademark application form will pre-populate with the information you entered previously and is easy to edit.

Classes/categories of products and services

Trademarks must be registered for specific products or services, which are divided into 45 categories or trademark classes.

The classification system allows similar trademarks to be registered for different products and/or services by different companies.  For example:

• KIT KAT is a registered trademark for chocolate products (class 30)

• ADIDAS is a registered trademark for athletic shoes (class 25), travel bags (class 18), and sporting equipment (class 28)

• VODAFONE is a registered trademark for mobile phones (class 9) and telecommunication services (class 38)

Our online application process is designed to assist you to search and select the classes and descriptions that cover the products/services relevant to your business that you may want to protect.  The results of the searches will give you the most relevant classes and a list of descriptions approved by the Trademark Office.  

You should protect your brand for the products and services you are using your brand for, along with those you may use in the future so that you can easily expand your brand offerings knowing you have the right level of protection for your brand. 

Be resolute about what the products and services you register your trademark for, but also be realistic.

Trademark owner

It's really up to you who you would like to own your trademark. Think of it as, who you would want to own a car or a house, and ask yourself whether it would make more sense for a person or a company to own the asset.

A trademark can be owned by:

• an individual or individuals

• a company

• an incorporated trust or the current trustees

• other legal entities, such as an incorporated society

You will need to provide details of the trademark owner as part of your trademark application.  This includes the trademark owner’s address, phone number and email address.

It is possible to change the details of a trademark owner at any time, but this can incur costs.

After an application has been submitted

All Malaysia trademark applications are submitted to the Malaysia Trademark Office. They follow a process to assess each application.

Assessment 

The Trademark Office will assess your trademark application within around 9-12 months after it has been submitted. 

Objections 

If the Trademark Office raises any issues with your trademark application, our trusted local partner will notify you of these issues and possible next steps.

Approval

If your application meets all requirements, the Malaysia Trademark Office will notify that it has been approved.

Publication

Every trademark application is published so other entities have an opportunity to object, if they have good reason.  Malaysia trademark applications are published for a period of two months, and the majority of applications move through this stage without any issues.

Registration

Once a trademark is registered, you’ll receive an official certificate of registration. A Malaysia trademark registration is valid for 10 years.  It is now ok to use the ® symbol with your trademark.

Still have questions?

Take a look at our FAQs, or contact us at hello@trademarksmalaysia.my.