In today’s blog post we are taking a look at the IP protection in Malaysia for the food and beverages sector. The F&B sector in Malaysia is rapidly growing,  but so are counterfeiting and other IP infringements. This blog post gives some advice to European SMEs on how to build a robust IP protection strategy in Malaysia for the food and beverages sector.  

Malaysia’s food & beverage industry is growing rapidly, with the revenue of over 25 billion EUR in 2015 and with an annual growth rate of 7.6%,[1] making the country thus attractive for European SMEs.

Malaysia has a large Muslim population and has, thus strong consumer demand for imported beef, mutton and other halal products.  This means that importers should be aware of that all slaughtered food must possess halal certification and adhere to specific labelling requirements.

Malaysia’s rapidly growing middle class constitutes a consumer base that is increasingly health-conscious, pays attention to the nutrition value of the food, prefers minimally processed fresh food and tends to trust foreign (western) brands when it comes to packaged food.

Together with rapid economic growth, counterfeiting in food products has also increased dramatically in recent years. Thus, the EU SMEs should take steps to ensure that their IP rights are protected, when selling their food products to Malaysia.

IPR are very relevant in the food & beverage industry, such as Trade Marks, Geographical Indications, Design and Trade Secrets.

Trade Mark Protection in Malaysia

Increasing brand consciousness, concerns about food safety and the relatively high number of counterfeiting in the country mean that brand reputation is especially important in Malaysia. A trustworthy brand can be critical to the success of food & beverage products as company’s trade mark functions as a badge of quality. Continue reading “IP Protection for the Food & Beverages Industry in Malaysia” »