The Cambodian Government will ask that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) postpone a 2013 deadline to enforce copyright laws by 5 years, admitting last week that it is still unable to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods in the local market.

Var Roth Sar, director of the intellectual property department at the Ministry of Commerce said on the sidelines of a seminar in Phnom Penh on how to prevent the illegal production of computer software that Cambodia would submit the extension request before the end of the year.

The WTO already extended the deadline to enforce copyright laws once in 2005 when it became clear that Cambodia and other least developed countries, would not be able to curb the sale of counterfeit goods by that deadline.

According to the copyright law, which was enacted in 2003, vendors caught selling counterfeit goods face penalties of 1 million to 20 million riel, about $250 to $5000, or 1 to 5 years imprisonment or both.

(Information sourced from Cambodia Daily Newspaper article 26th June 2012)