📈 Sri Lanka Accelerates IP Reforms to Boost US Trade & Investment

• Key Targets & System Modernization: • Sri Lanka is accelerating legal, digital, and border enforcement reforms to strengthen its IP ecosystem and attract foreign investment, particularly with the US—its largest single export destination. • National Intellectual Property Office (NIPO) aims to cut registration timelines to ~8 months by mid-2027, reducing backlogs from current delays of 1 year for trademarks and 2 years for patents. • Record digitization with WIPO was completed; online trademark searches launched in Feb 2026, with full online IP registration services slated for next year. • Sector & Industry Impact: • Apparel & Textiles: The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) warned that counterfeit trade has become an organized criminal network, calling for modern cargo scanning and IP protection covering proprietary fabric technologies, construction techniques, and manufacturing specs. • ICT/BPM: Tech leaders emphasized that IP protection intersects with cybersecurity under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), noting that continuous software licensing updates are vital against AI-powered threats. • Agriculture & GIs: Focus remains on strengthening Geographical Indications (GIs) for products like Ceylon Cinnamon to protect collective producer rights globally via the Lisbon Agreement. • Enforcement & Challenges: • Sri Lanka Customs holds ex-officio powers to seize and destroy counterfeit goods under the Customs Ordinance, while the CID Commercial Crime Unit has investigated ~25 trademark counterfeit cases in recent years. • Key bottlenecks remain: public awareness gaps, limited institutional capacity, and multi-year opposition proceedings that hinder small enterprises.