The Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) is strengthening efforts to protect the country’s genetic resources and traditional knowledge as international patent rules evolve under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaty on Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge.
MyIPO Director-General Yusnieza Syarmila Yusoff said the development requires a broader understanding among policymakers, patent administrators, researchers, industry players and those involved in managing biodiversity and traditional knowledge.
She said Malaysia’s rich biodiversity and traditional knowledge should be protected through a transparent and high-quality patent system to reduce the risk of inappropriate patents and prevent communities’ resources and knowledge from being commercially exploited without proper recognition.
Local plants such as tongkat ali and kacip fatimah, she noted, are examples of genetic resources with research and commercial potential that are closely linked to traditional knowledge.
MyIPO held a national seminar on the WIPO GRATK Treaty 2026 at Menara MyIPO in Petaling Jaya today, bringing together experts from WIPO, India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research as well as federal and state agencies.
The treaty was adopted by WIPO member states by consensus on May 24, 2024 after 25 years of negotiations. It is the first WIPO treaty to explicitly recognise the role and contribution of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the intellectual property system.
Under the treaty, patent applicants will be required to disclose the country of origin or source of genetic resources used in an invention, as well as the Indigenous Peoples or local communities that provided associated traditional knowledge.
MyIPO said it would continue engaging ministries, agencies, state governments, research institutions, industry, Indigenous Peoples and local communities to build capacity and safeguard Malaysia’s interests.
