56 / 276
54
Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2023
Intellectual Property Framework
The Brunei Intellectual Property Office
(BruIPO) was formed on June 1, 2013
to restructure the national intellectual
property (IP) administration. BruIPO is
responsible for the registration of patents,
trademarks, industrial designs and plant
varieties protection. While overseeing the
development of the national IP system,
BruIPOalsoaimstoraiseawarenessonthe
benefits of IP rights protection, enhancing
business growth and competitiveness
and promoting an ‘IP Culture’ where
creativity and innovation can flourish.
To increase the efficiency of its services,
BruIPO launched an e-filing portal for
patents, trademarks, industrial designs
and post-filing. There is also an online
database that allows companies to
search for IP rights such as patents,
trademarks and industrial designs
which have been registered or applied
in Brunei.
Patents
A patent is an exclusive right granted for
an invention, which can be a product or
a process that provides a new way of
doing something, or a new technical
solution to a problem. The application
system in Brunei Darussalam operates
on a “first-to-file” basis, whichmeans the
first person to file a patent application
will have priority over others for the
same invention.
With the system’s “self-assessing”
feature, applicants can decide how
and when to proceed with the patent
applications. The patent system is
“formality-based”, and substantive
examination work is outsourced to
the foreign patent offices of Austria,
Denmark and Hungary.
A patent provides protection for 20
years, subject to the payment of