Milestones of the Department
1994 – Bhutan becomes a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
1997 – Creation of a Legal Section in the erstwhile Ministry of Trade and Industry.
1997 – Promulgation of the Industrial Property Regulation.
1997 – Bhutan becomes a member of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
2000 – Bhutan becomes a member of the Madrid Agreement concerning international registration of Marks.
2000 – Bhutan becomes a member of the Madrid Protocol concerning international registration of Marks.
2000 – Legal Section of the Ministry upgraded as the Intellectual Property Division
2001 – Bhutan enacts the Copyright Act and Industrial Property Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan.
2004 – Bhutan becomes a member of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
2016 – The IP Division is upgraded to a Department.
2018 – The National Intellectual Property Policy (NIPP) is endorsed.
2018 – Three Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs) are established in two technical colleges and Thimphu TechPark.
2018 – The annual National Trademark Award is instituted.
2018 – The first Annual Magazine of the Department is published.
2019 – The online Bhutan IP Search System is launched.
2020 – The IP Theme Song and Musical Videos published.