How to Register a Trademark in Malaysia
A plain-language walkthrough of MyIPO's trademark registration process, the official government fees as currently published, and how long each stage typically takes. If you would rather have a registered agent handle the filing for you, we can do that too.
Reviewed by Angie Neoh, Managing Partner, LLM (Intellectual Property) · Updated 3 October 2026
What Trademark Registration Actually Gives You
Registering a trademark in Malaysia gives you the exclusive right to use that mark for the goods and services you claim, a clear legal basis to stop copycats, and an asset you can licence, franchise or assign. It is governed by the Trade Marks Act 2019 and administered by the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO).
Registration is not automatic and it is not instant. Every application goes through a formalities check, a substantive examination on absolute and relative grounds, publication for public opposition, and only then registration, a process that typically runs 12 to 18 months when nothing is contested. Nothing about that process requires a law firm, but a mark generally cannot be amended once filed, so mistakes made at the search, classification or drafting stage are difficult and sometimes impossible to fix later.
This guide sets out each stage in the order it happens, the official MyIPO fees currently published, and the questions we are asked most often about the process. If, after reading it, you would rather have a registered agent run the filing and correspond with MyIPO on your behalf, our trademark agent page covers what that service involves.
Eight Stages, From Search to Renewal
Every Malaysian trademark application moves through the same sequence. Oppositions and refusals add time; they do not change the order.
Availability search (optional)
A search of MyIPO's register for identical or confusingly similar marks in the relevant classes. Not compulsory, but the cheapest way to avoid filing a mark that will likely be refused or opposed. MyIPO offers an optional preliminary search under Form TMA1.
Filing the application
Filed with MyIPO, in person, by post, or through the IP Online Portal, naming the mark, the applicant, and the Nice classification and specification of goods or services the mark will cover.
Formality examination
MyIPO checks that the application is complete and correctly filed: the right forms, fees paid, and a valid representation of the mark. Missing information at this stage causes delay before substantive examination even begins.
Substantive examination
MyIPO examines the mark on absolute grounds under section 23 (for example, that it is descriptive or non-distinctive) and relative grounds under section 24 (conflict with an earlier mark). If there is an objection, MyIPO issues a provisional refusal and the applicant generally has two months to respond, extendable once by two months on good cause.
Publication
Once accepted, the application is published in the Intellectual Property Official Journal, the equivalent of a government gazette for IP matters, opening a two-month window for third parties to oppose.
Opposition window
Any interested party may file a notice of opposition within the publication period. If nobody opposes, the application proceeds to registration. If someone does, a counter-statement and evidence rounds follow, sometimes resolved by negotiation rather than a full hearing.
Registration
Once unopposed or any opposition is resolved in the applicant's favour, MyIPO issues the certificate of registration. Protection runs from the original filing date, not from the certificate date.
Renewal
A Malaysian trademark registration is valid for ten years from filing and renewable for further ten-year periods indefinitely. Renewal is filed on Form TME1 (RM1,000 per class) before expiry, and MyIPO accepts renewal applications up to six months ahead. If the deadline is missed, a late renewal on Form TME2 (RM1,200 per class) is available for a limited period after expiry, and a lapsed registration can be restored on Form TME3 (RM1,500 per class). Diarise the date: a lapsed mark can be challenged or taken by others. See the full forms and fees table.
MyIPO Trademark Forms and Fees
The government fees below are published on MyIPO's own site, with the form code for each step. They are charged per class of goods or services and do not include a registered agent's professional fee, which is separate.
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Search and filing | ||
| Preliminary search and advice | RM250 per class | Optional, Form TMA1, before filing |
| Application, using MyIPO's pre-approved list of goods/services | RM950 per class | Standard filing, Form TMA2A |
| Application, specification not from the pre-approved list | RM1,100 per class | Custom specification, Form TMA2B |
| Additional mark in a series application | RM50 each | Per mark after the first (maximum of six), Form TMA2C |
| Expedited examination | RM1,000 per class | Request to speed up examination, Form TMA4 |
| Renewal and restoration | ||
| Renewal, filed before expiry | RM1,000 per class | Every ten years, Form TME1 |
| Late renewal | RM1,200 per class | After expiry, within the grace period, Form TME2 |
| Restoration of a lapsed registration | RM1,500 per class | Form TME3 |
| After filing | ||
| Notice of opposition | RM950 per class | Filed by a third party, Form TMD1. See trademark opposition in Malaysia |
| Counterstatement | RM350 per class | Applicant's response to an opposition, Form TMD6 |
| Registration of an assignment | RM300 per application | Transfer of ownership, Form TMH1 |
| Registration of a licence | RM100 per class | Licence or sub-licence, Form TMH2 |
| Voluntary cancellation | RM20 per class | Form TMF1 |
Figures as published on MyIPO's trademark forms and fees page, last checked against it in October 2026. Government fees are revised from time to time, so confirm the current amount on that page before you pay. This table lists the forms most applicants meet; MyIPO's page has the full schedule.
What a registered agent's professional fee covers. The figures above are what MyIPO charges; they do not include the cost of instructing a registered trademark agent. A professional fee typically covers the availability search and clearance advice, correctly classifying your goods and services under the Nice system, drafting a specification that is broad enough to protect you yet precise enough to withstand examination, filing the application, and monitoring and responding to MyIPO's correspondence through to registration.
Who actually needs one. Under section 51 of the Trade Marks Act 2019, an applicant with no residence or principal place of business in Malaysia must appoint a registered Malaysian trademark agent; foreign applicants cannot file directly. Malaysian residents are not legally required to use an agent, but in practice most do, since a mark generally cannot be amended once filed and errors in classification or specification are a common cause of refusal or opposition.
Trade Marks Act 2019: What Governs Trademarks in Malaysia
Trademarks in Malaysia are governed by the Trade Marks Act 2019 and the Trademarks Regulations 2019, and administered by MyIPO.
The Act came into force on 27 December 2019, replacing the Trade Marks Act 1976. The changes that matter most in practice:
- Multi-class applications. One application can now cover goods and services in several classes.
- Madrid Protocol. Malaysia joined the Madrid System, so a Malaysian application can be the base for an international filing, and foreign owners can designate Malaysia through WIPO.
- Non-traditional marks. Shapes, colours, sounds, scents, holograms, positioning and motion marks can be registered, provided they can be represented graphically.
- Collective marks. Associations can register marks used by their members.
- Ten-year term. A registration lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely in ten-year periods.
Using ™ and ® in Malaysia
You can use ™ with any sign you claim as your trademark, registered or not. The ® symbol, or the words “registered trademark”, may only be used once the mark is registered with MyIPO for the goods or services concerned. Falsely representing a mark as registered is an offence under the Trade Marks Act 2019.
An unregistered mark is not unprotected: the common-law action of passing off may still help. But you must prove goodwill, misrepresentation and damage, which is slower and costlier than enforcing a registration.
How to Check Whether a Brand Name Is Already Trademarked
Search MyIPO's online trademark database for identical and similar marks in the classes you plan to file in. Look at spelling, sound and meaning, not just exact matches. Check SSM business names, domain names and online marketplaces too, since earlier unregistered use can support an opposition. For more certainty, request MyIPO's official preliminary search, or start with our free trademark search and have a lawyer review the results.
Trademark Registration: Common Questions
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most often about registering a trademark in Malaysia.
Want a Registered Agent to Handle the Filing?
We run the search, classify and draft the specification, file with MyIPO and manage the process through to registration, for local brands and foreign holders alike.
Talk to a Registered Trademark Agent →