Copyright Registration in Malaysia

Our thanks to Garfield Goodrum, founder of Design Law Offices in Boston and chair-elect of AIPLA's Industrial Designs Committee for the following news:

As of 3/1/12, Malaysia has instituted a quasi-registration system for copyright, called a Voluntary Notification of Copyright, apparently as part of measures to allow for accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty. 

The links below take you to more information published by the snappily-named MyIPO, the Malaysian IP Office.

• http://www.myipo.gov.my/web/guest/hakcipta-umum
• http://www.myipo.gov.my/documents/10180/6d235c10-3404-4840-9d24-2385db93dcac
• http://www.myipo.gov.my/documents/10180/41614/Procedure%20for%20Voluntary%20Notification.pdf
• http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/members_opinions_and_comments/keeping_copyright_relevant.html

We hear from Garfield that US Copyright registrations can be pretty useful in protecting designs.  Will the same be true in Malaysia?  For 2D works there may well be some advantages.  I wonder about 3D works - ss 13A and 13B of the Malaysian Copyright Act 1987 look much like ss 51 and 52 respectively of the UK Copyright Designs and Patents Act, which greatly curtail copyright protection for three dimensional shapes.  Would any Malaysian readers care to enlighten us?