Foreign enterprises may find it difficult to enforce copyright for under the current Myanmar Copyright Act of 1914. Foreign copyrights are not recognised in Myanmar. Thus, there are no processes for registering foreign copyrights. The law grants copyright to those works, if the author is a Myanmar citizen or "within" Myanmar at the time the work was created: (a) The work was first published in Myanmar in the case of a published work; and (b) In the case of an unpublished work, the author was a Myanmar citizen or "within" Myanmar at the time the work was created.
Procedure
In the summer of 2015, a draught version of the Myanmar Copyright Law was published, and it is likely to take effect in the coming year. The present CA 1914 will be replaced by the new Copyright Law. Copyright registration will not be required under the new law. It will be able to do so voluntarily with Myanmar's Intellectual Property Office. The Registrar will issue a certificate of copyright registration if the registration is approved. Voluntary copyright registration is often suggested as proof of ownership for copyright enforcement. Many enforcement bodies in Southeast Asian countries would demand proof of copyright to begin the process. As a result, it will be recommended once it is also available in Myanmar.
