Articles
Analysis and practical guidance on Malaysian law from the attorneys at Abbas & Ngan. Stay informed on the latest legal developments affecting your business.
Your Trademark Is Being Counterfeited. Here Is What Malaysian Law Lets You Do.
Criminal raids, customs seizures, civil injunctions and online takedowns: a practical guide to which enforcement tool to reach for first and how to build a case that sticks.
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How to File a Patent in Malaysia as a Foreign Applicant
The three filing routes, the 12-month and 30-month deadlines, the local agent requirement and the pitfalls overseas applicants meet most often.
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How to Register a Trademark in Malaysia | MyIPO Process & Fees
Step-by-step guide to trademark registration in Malaysia: MyIPO's process, official fees and typical timeline, explained plainly.
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Your Copyright Stays With You. Even When the Patent Does Not.
A Court of Appeal ruling confirms that moral rights survive a copyright assignment, and that a published dissertation can invalidate a later patent for want of novelty.
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What Your Franchise Sales Team Is Promising, and What the Law Actually Protects
Franchise sales teams promise a strong brand and exclusive territory. Under Malaysian law, an unregistered trademark and vague territory clauses can undo both.
Read Article →Patent or Trade Secret? Choosing the Right Shield for Your Innovation
Both protect what you have invented or discovered. But they work in opposite ways, suit different situations, and the wrong choice can leave your most valuable asset exposed.
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AI Helped Create It. Can You Still Own It?
Generative AI is now part of almost every creative workflow. But what happens to ownership when a tool, not a human, does the heavy lifting? Malaysian copyright law and the questions that matter for businesses, creators and agencies.
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Did You Just Start a Countdown on Your Patent at ITEX?
Exhibiting at ITEX is a public disclosure that can put your patent at risk. What every Malaysian inventor needs to know about worldwide novelty, the grace period and protecting an invention abroad.
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Patentability in Malaysia: What Qualifies as a Patentable Invention?
A Malaysian patent agent's guide to the three patentability criteria under the Patents Act 1983: novelty, inventive step, industrial applicability, plus what is excluded under Section 13.
Read Article →Your Copyright Is Automatic. Proving It's Yours Is Not.
In Malaysia copyright is protected the moment you create a work, with no registration required. But protection and proof are two different things. How to build evidence of ownership before a dispute arises.
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Geographical Indications Act 2022 Malaysia: Protecting Heritage Brands
How Malaysian producers, Sarawak Pepper, Musang King, Sabah Tea, Bario Rice and others, protect regional brands under the GIA 2022, with international protection options.
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Trademark Opposition in Malaysia: Notice, Counter-Statement & Defence Strategy
A 2026 practitioner's guide to opposition proceedings under the Trade Marks Act 2019, from the two-month opposition window to Madrid Protocol provisional refusals and counter-statement strategy.
Read Article →IP Protection Strategies Every Malaysian Business Should Know
From trade secrets to patents, a practical framework for protecting your most valuable intangible assets under Malaysian law.
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Incorporating a Company in Malaysia: A Founder's Legal Guide
Step-by-step guide to SSM registration under the Companies Act 2016, choosing between Sdn Bhd and LLP and structuring your company for growth.
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Property Due Diligence in Malaysia: The Essential Legal Checklist
What every buyer and developer must verify before signing, title searches, encumbrances, land conditions and compliance under the National Land Code.
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Navigating M&A in Malaysia: Legal Framework & Key Considerations
Understanding the regulatory landscape for mergers and acquisitions, from Competition Act compliance to foreign investment approvals and takeover rules.
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Why Every Malaysian Startup Needs a Shareholders' Agreement
Protecting founder relationships and investor interests, key clauses, vesting schedules and exit mechanisms under Malaysian law.
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Foreign Property Ownership in Malaysia: Rules, Restrictions & Opportunities
State consent requirements, minimum thresholds, MM2H considerations and practical strategies for foreign investors in Malaysian property.
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Protecting Your Brand in Malaysia's E-Commerce Boom
How to combat counterfeiting, enforce trademark rights online and leverage Malaysia's border enforcement measures against infringing goods.
Read Article →Obata-Ambak v Prema Bonanza: Can Buyers Still Claim LAD After Ang Ming Lee?
The Federal Court's 2024 decision on extensions of time, limitation and unjust enrichment, and what it means for buyers and developers.
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Corporate Governance Best Practices for Malaysian Companies
Aligning with MCCG 2021 principles, board composition, risk management, sustainability reporting and director duties under the Companies Act 2016.
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Debt Recovery in Malaysia: Legal Strategies for Creditors
From letters of demand to winding-up petitions, a step-by-step guide to recovering debts efficiently under Malaysian litigation procedures.
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Legal IP Issues in Generative AI
Exploring authorship disputes, copyright infringement risks and the legal grey areas of AI-generated content under Malaysian intellectual property law.
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Legal Intellectual Property Issues in the Metaverse
NFT ownership, virtual property rights and avatar identity, how trademark and copyright law applies in virtual worlds.
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Understanding the Revamped Content Code 2022 in Malaysia
Key changes to the Communications and Multimedia Content Code, influencer compliance, child protection and online content regulation.
Read Article →4 Important Amendments to the Copyright Act 1987
Marrakesh Treaty ratification, CMO restructuring, voluntary notification changes and enhanced online piracy offenses under the 2022 amendments.
Read Article →LAD Calculation Starts From Booking Fee Date: A Landmark Decision
The Federal Court's landmark ruling in PJD Regency, liquidated damages for late vacant possession begin from booking fee date, not SPA date.
Read Article →MC / JMB Can Ban Short-Term Rentals: Federal Court Decision
How the Verve Suites decision established that management corporations can lawfully prohibit Airbnb-style short-term rentals through house rules.
Read Article →Dying Without a Will in Malaysia: What Happens to Your Estate
Understanding the Distribution Act 1958, intestacy rules and why having a properly drafted will saves your family from unnecessary disputes and delays.
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