KHfiling code

Cambodia

DIP · Ministry of Commerce

Low official fees and quick registration. A cheap addition when you are already filing in Vietnam and Thailand — provided the use affidavits are tracked.

Trademarks
System
First to file
Madrid Protocol
Member
To registration
~6–12 months
Term
10 years, renewable
Patents & designs
PCT
Member
Utility model
Utility model
Hague (designs)
Member
Design term
5 years, renewable to 15

Cambodia can validate patents already granted in Singapore, China, Japan and by the EPO, which is far cheaper than prosecuting from scratch. Worth checking before you file nationally.

What to watch in Cambodia

Four things that decide whether the filing holds

  • Affidavits of use are required

    Use declarations fall due at set intervals to keep a registration alive. Same trap as the Philippines, smaller market, equally final.

  • Cheap to add to a regional filing

    If Vietnam and Thailand are already on the list, the marginal cost here is small.

  • Enforcement runs largely through administrative action

    Customs recordal matters more than litigation planning.

  • Register before appointing a distributor

    The usual precaution: file in your own name before anyone local has a reason to file in theirs.

Also on the desk