In more detail
From 1 September 2020 to 29 April 2022, applicants with a patent application accelerated under the SG IP Fast Track ("SG IP FAST") can also request to accelerate their related trademark and registered design applications. This latest effort expands on the SG Patent Fast Track Programme piloted on 4 May 2020.
Under the accelerated timelines:
- Patent applications may be granted in as fast as 6 months;
- Trade mark applications that do not encounter substantive objections or only contain minor issues may be registered in as fast as 3 months while other trade mark applications may be done so in as fast as 6 months; and
- Registered design applications may be registered in as fast as 1 month.
How to qualify for acceleration
Applicants need to fulfill the following requirements to qualify for the SG IP Fast:
- The applicant must have a patent application placed on SG IP FAST;
- The trade mark and registered design applications must be filed within 1 month of the applicant being notified that a patent application has been placed for SG IP fast; and
- The applications in (2) must be related to the patent application placed on SG IP FAST.
While there is a cap of 5 patent applications a month and a limit of 10 patent applications per year per entity (individual or corporate), no cap will be imposed on the number of trade mark and registered design applications that may be accelerated.
The expansion of the SG Patent Fast Track Programme to trade mark and registered design applications is a much welcome development for IP applicants in Singapore. The SG IP FAST serves to better support the efforts of businesses to build and manage their portfolio by expediting the process required to obtain IP protection over their creations. This will in turn, provide enterprises and inventors with certainty over the scope of their rights, and provide them with a means to springboard into global markets from Singapore.
Further details on the eligibility criteria and request procedures for SG IP FAST can be found here.
Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow is a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International, a global law firm with member law firms around the world. In accordance with the common terminology used in professional service organizations, reference to a "partner" means a person who is a partner or equivalent in such a law firm. Similarly, reference to an “office” means an office of any such law firm. This may qualify as "Attorney Advertising" requiring notice in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
