The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has refused to register a scientific abbreviation as a trademark even though the applicant was the first to discover the substance. In the matter of a trademark application by BioMedical Research Group Inc. & Anor. ([2024] SGIPOS 3), BioMedical Research Group Inc. and Macrophi Inc. sought to register the mark in […]
Publications
Singapore: IPOS launches free deferment of patent prosecution as pilot initiative
In response to the growing interests of applicants in having more time to decide how best to prosecute their Singapore patent applications in alignment with their global patenting strategies and IP commercialization developments, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has launched a pilot initiative to allow eligible applicants to defer the filings of request […]
A sample of Singapore patents granted in 2024
While we are well into the second-half of 2024, contemplating milestones accomplished (or New Year’s resolutions broken) so far, it is interesting to note that by the end of June 2024 in Singapore, almost 4,000 patent applications had reached the critical milestone of an issuance of a certificate of grant by the Intellectual Property Office […]
Copyright infringement: A ground for invalidation and opposition of trademark in Singapore
Background Henkel Polybit Industries Ltd. is a Middle Eastern entity which develops and produces water-proofing and corrosion-inhibiting sealants and coating specifically for the construction industry. They operate in at least 25 jurisdictions worldwide including in Singapore. Initially known as Polybit Industries Ltd. which was incorporated in 1995 in the United Arab Emirates, they were acquired […]
Protecting AI inventions in Singapore
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is profoundly impacting business and society, with AI now possessing the ability to write code, design drugs, develop products, and overhaul processes, among other innovations. This emergence of AI has sparked inquiries into the role of patent laws in protecting AI inventions. Patent protection can significantly enhance the commercial […]
Singapore: Patents Formalities Manual updates
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (‘IPOS’) recently issued a circular announcing various updates to the Patents Formalities Manual (‘Manual’) pertaining to practices and processes. New programmes that have been recently introduced in patents have also been incorporated herein. WIPO Standard ST.26 for sequence listing In IPOS Digital Hub Practice Direction No. 2 of 2023 […]
R We Similar?
A recent Intellectual Property Office of Singapore decision in the matter of Google LLC v. Green Radar (Singapore) Pte Ltd delved into the complexities of trademark law in Singapore while highlighting the crucial balance between protecting one’s brand and promoting market competition. Background Green Radar (Singapore) Pte Ltd. (the applicant) is a Singapore-incorporated company and […]
Successful Mediation challenges the archaic notion of “an eye for an eye”
A first successful mediation under the WIPO-Singapore ASEAN Mediation Programme (“AMP”) saw parties amicably settling their dispute in October 2023. Both disputants’ primary business was in eyecare and eye examination. The matter concerned the use of Chew’s Optics (“Party A”)’s registered trade mark(s) under Class 35: Party A had already been utilising the said trade […]
Singapore – Trademark Laws & Generative-AI
In the age of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) proliferating, disruptions are experienced across industries including service and media. Generative AI (or “GenAI”) is also interluding in the realm of intellectual property (“IP”). Trademark laws, among other IP Laws, are facing new challenges and complexities and require fresher perspectives for improving brand protection, especially in countries like […]
A different Monster
This decision arose from Monster Energy Company’s opposition against the registration of the Application Mark “GENTLE MONSTER” (a word mark) by IICOMBINED Co., Ltd, in Class 9 for “smartglasses”, on the following grounds: That the Application Mark is confusingly similar to its “MONSTER ENERGY” marks, one of which was registered in 2014 in Class 9; […]