IPOS Digital Hub launch date revised to 2 June 2022, effective date of legislative amendments and fee updates changed to 26 May 2022

29 April 2022

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (“IPOS”) has announced that it will be launching IPOS Digital Hub on 2 June 2022, instead of 4 May 2022. The legislative amendments and fee updates originally slated for implementation on 29 April 2022 will take effect on 26 May 2022 instead. IPOS Digital Hub is a new intellectual property filing system which will replace the existing e-services platform, IP²SG. The new launch date for IPOS Digital Hub will allow IPOS to resolve technical issues and prevent any anticipated disruptions to users in using the new Electronic Online System (“EOS”).

The change of the launch date for IPOS Digital Hub and other updates are set out in the latest set of IPOS circulars titled “Information on Revised Launch Date for IPOS Digital Hub, Decommission Date for IP²SG, Effective Date of Legislative Amendments and Fee Updates, Excluded Days” issued on 28 April 2022 in relation to patents, trade marks, registered designs, geographical indications and plant varieties protection.

By way of background, IPOS had earlier informed that IPOS Digital Hub will be launched on 4 May 2022, and this was set out in circulars titled “IPOS Digital Hub, Legislative Amendments and Fee Updates” which were issued on 11 March 2022 in relation to patents, trade marks, registered designs, geographical indications and plant varieties protection. This development was covered in our article titled “IPOS announces new IPOS Digital Hub from 4 May 2022, process changes and fee updates from 29 April 2022”. Subsequently on 11 April 2022, IPOS provided more details on the filing requirements and transition to IPOS Digital Hub through another set of circulars titled “Information on Filing Requirements and Transition to IPOS Digital Hub” and this was covered in our article titled “IPOS issues circulars on filing requirements and transition to IPOS Digital Hub”.

Adjustments to IP²SG decommissioning schedule

The decommissioning schedule for the existing EOS, IP²SG, will be adjusted as follows:

• IP²SG will decommission on 25 May 2022 (2359hrs), and EOS services will remain available until 25 May 2022 (2359hrs) through IP²SG.
• EOS services will be unavailable from 26 May 2022 (0000hrs) to 2 June 2022 (1159hrs).
• All draft correspondence and forms in the IP²SG draft folders and payment cart will be removed on 25 May 2022 (2359hrs) and they will not be retrievable in the new EOS. Submission of drafts and payment (as appropriate) via IP²SG should be done before 25 May 2022 (2359hrs).

Excluded days

According to IPOS, the Registries Practice Direction (No. 1 of 2022) issued on 11 April 2022, Practice Direction No. 1 of 2009 and Practice Direction No. 1 of 2019 will remain in effect. This means that the period of 29 April 2022 to 8 May 2022 (both dates inclusive) taking into account Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays falling within this period will continue to remain as a period of excluded days.

Further information on the impact of excluded days to deadlines and priority claims for the period of 29 April 2022 to 8 May 2022 is set out in the Annex to the circulars.

To facilitate the launch of IPOS Digital Hub on 2 June 2022, the Registrar will be issuing another practice direction to declare the period of 26 May 2022 to 3 June 2022 (both dates inclusive) as excluded days in due course.

Reference materials

The following circulars are available from the IPOS website www.ipos.gov.sg:

• Circular No. 4/2022: Information on Revised Launch Date for IPOS Digital Hub, Decommission Date for IP²SG, Effective Date of Legislative Amendments and Fee Updates, Excluded Days (Registry of Patents)

• Circular No. 5/2022: Information on Revised Launch Date for IPOS Digital Hub, Decommission Date for IP²SG, Effective Date of Legislative Amendments and Fee Updates, Excluded Days (Registry of Trade Marks)

• Circular No. 4/2022: Information on Revised Launch Date for IPOS Digital Hub, Decommission Date for IP²SG, Effective Date of Legislative Amendments and Fee Updates, Excluded Days (Registry of Registered Designs)

• Circular No. 3/2022: Information on Revised Launch Date for IPOS Digital Hub, Decommission Date for IP2^SG, Effective Date of Legislative Amendments and Fee Updates, Excluded Days (Registry of Geographical Indications)

• Circular No. 3/2022: Information on Revised Launch Date for IPOS Digital Hub, Decommission Date for IP²SG, Effective Date of Legislative Amendments and Fee Updates, Excluded Days (Registry of Plant Varieties Protection)