Singapore Intellectual Property News

IPOS (the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore) has today announced a further period of excluded days (6 June 2022 to 8 June 2022). This is the third period of excluded days to be declared this year.

In conjunction with the delay in the launch of the new IPOS Digital Hub filing system, IPOS has announced that it has issued a practice direction to effectively make the entire period of 26 May 2022 to 5 June 2022 (both dates inclusive) as excluded days.

This is the second period of excluded days to be declared this year.

The Association of Singapore Patent Attorneys (ASPA) wrote to the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore with its feedback on IPOS Registry Circulars issued on 28 April 2022, with particular focus on Registry of Patents Circular No. 4 of 2022.

The submission was sent on 17 May 2022 to Sharmaine Wu, Director of Patents, Designs and Plant Varieties, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). It was authored by Dr Chong-Yee Khoo of Cantab IP Pte Ltd, a committee member of ASPA.

The submission addresses the question as to whether Saturdays and other weekdays declared as excluded days have the effect of extending the 12 month period for claiming Paris Convention priority.

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore today announced new dates for the launch of IPOS Digital Hub and the implementation of increases in its official fees.

A summary of the changes follow:

• IPOS Digital Hub will start operation on 2 June 2022 at 1200 hrs Singapore time (instead of 4 May 2022).

• IP2SG will be switched off on 25 May 2022 at 2359 hours Singapore time (instead of 29 April 2022 at 0000 hrs).

• Offical fees will only be increased on 26 May 2022 (not 29 April 2022).

• previously declared excluded days are not affected.

More details and analysis of today’s announcement may be found in the related blog post.

UPDATED 28 April 2022: IPOS has announced a delay in the proposed launch of IPOS Digital Hub to 2 June 2022 (details below).

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore has announced the launch of a new electronic filing system, called IPOS Digital Hub.

The existing e-filing system (IP2SG), which has been in use since February 2014, is being retired on 25 May 2022. IPOS Digital Hub will go live on 2 June 2022 at 1200 hrs Singapore Time.

IPOS Digital Hub will then become the default electronic online system (EOS) for patent, trade mark and registered design filings at IPOS.

The related blog post provides more information on this change, including details on a number of excluded days announced by IPOS to ease the transition between the two electronic filing systems.