Law Aimed at Protecting Local Products Approved

The Council of Ministers has approved a draft law aimed at protecting the patent rights of traditional Cambodian products, which if violated could be met with a fine of up to $5,000 and a five-year jail term. The law on geographical indication (G.I.), a status given to protect reputable goods that originate from a specific region, aims at maintaining national identity and “protecting the intellectual property of producers and operators while protecting consu­mers,” the Council of Ministers said in a statement. … In April 2010, Kampot pepper and Kompong Speu palm sugar be­came the first Cambodian products to receive the World Trade Organization-supported G.I. status. Mr. Roth San said five more products could be added to the list, including silk from Banteay Meanchey province, fish paste from Siem Reap and durian from Kampot.

Hul Reaksmey and George Styllis
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/law-aimed-at-protecting-local-products-approved-46855/