Brunei’s currently effective patent system is mainly regulated by the Patent Law (2011). On January 1, 2012, the Patent Act 2011 and the Patent Laws 2012 officially came into effect. Brunei's Patent Act of 2011 replaced the previous re-registration patent systems of Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the European Patent Office (designating the United Kingdom) and established an independent patent system.
Brunei is a party to the Paris Convention and the Patent Cooperation Treaty, so foreign companies and individuals can apply for patents in Brunei through the Paris Convention and the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty).