Knowledge Highlights 21 November 2024
Migration of IPOS online filing platform, additional period of excluded days from 14 to 16 May 2024 for business under IP Acts and Rules
To facilitate the migration of its online filing platform to the Government on Commercial Cloud platform, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (“IPOS”) has issued Registries Practice Direction No. 2 of 2024 (“PD 2”) which supersedes Registries Practice Direction No. 1 of 2024 (“PD 1”). PD2 specifies that 1 to 13 May 2024 are excluded days for all business under the IP Acts and Rules except for certain types of business (“Transactable Business”) that can be carried out via alternative filing modes. Any deadline falling during this period will be extended to 17 May 2024. While IPOS Digital Hub and IPOS Go mobile app will resume service on 14 May 2024 for all transactions, 14 to 16 May are excluded days wherein any missed deadline within this period will be extended to 17 May 2024. To protect applicants, any missed time limit for claiming of priority which falls within 1 to 16 May 2024 will also be extended to 17 May 2024.
Previously, PD 1 had provided that the excluded days were from 1 to 13 May 2024. In response to feedback from stakeholders, PD 2 is issued to further specify 14 to 16 May 2024 as excluded days. This will allow users to progressively carry out transactions on IPOS Digital Hub and IPOS Go mobile app following the resumption of these services on 14 May 2024.
IP Acts and Rules refer to the Patents Act 1994 and Rules, the Trade Marks Act 1998 and Rules, the Registered Designs Act 2000 and Rules, the Plant Varieties Protection Act 2004 and Rules, and the Geographical Indications Act 2014 and Rules 2019.
Transactable Business
Transactable Business includes the following:
- Application to register a trade mark, collective mark, or certification mark
- Application for international registration governed exclusively by the Madrid Protocol
- Request for the grant of a patent
- Application for registration of a design under section 11 of the Registered Designs Act 2000
- Application for grant of protection under section 13 of the Plant Varieties Protection Act 2004
- Application to register geographical indication
- Application to register, amend, or terminate licence
- Application to register, amend, or terminate security interest
- Application to register transfer of ownership
- Assent by personal representatives
- Filing of order of court
- Written authority sought under section 34 of the Patents Act 1994
- Conduct of case management conferences, pre-hearing reviews, and hearings; and the submission of related documents, which relates to:
- correspondence to inform or update on the person(s) attending case management conferences or pre-hearing reviews or request a vacation of the proceedings;
- written submissions and bundle(s) of authorities;
- additional or supplementary written submissions and bundle(s) of authorities; and
- rebuttal or reply written submissions and bundle(s) of authorities.
PD 2 and accompanying circulars for the respective IP types, published on 8 May 2024, detail the effects of excluded days on the expiry of time periods and date of filing.
Reference materials
The following materials can be found on the IPOS website www.ipos.gov.sg:
- Circular: Excluded Days from 1 May 2024 to 16 May 2024
- Registries Practice Direction No. 2 of 2024
- Patents Circular No. 2 of 2024 (Registry of Patents)
- Trade Marks Circular No. 3 of 2024 (Registry of Trade Marks)
- Designs Circular No. 2 of 2024 (Registry of Designs)
- Plant Varieties Circular No. 2 of 2024 (Registry of Plant Varieties)
- Geographical Indications Circular No. 2 of 2024 (Registry of Geographical Indications)
