Publications

ASEAN – Launch of Official Intellectual Property Register

On 20th August 2023, ASEAN, having collaborated with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), officially launched the ASEAN Intellectual Property Register (“ASEAN IP Register”). This ASEAN IP Register is intended to act as a consolidated one-stop information portal that allows IP professionals and interested parties to conduct trademark, patent, and design searches from all 10 […]

Classical trinity of passing off analyzed

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) decision in ZERODENSITY YAZILIM ANONIM SIRKETI v. Novel Brands USA LLC clarifies the law of passing off in Singapore and discusses the “classical trinity” test in establishing passing off. Background Novel Brands USA LLC (the applicant) is a company incorporated in Delaware, United States. The applicant had designated […]

IPOS Extended Anew Its Patent Acceleration Initiative under ASPEC AIM Programme

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has recently further extended its patent acceleration program, the ASPEC Acceleration for Industry 4.0 Infrastructure and Manufacturing Pilot (ASPEC AIM) Programme until 26 August 2025. This extension allows patent applicants in the ASEAN region to continue benefiting from an accelerated examination procedure for their Industry 4.0 inventions. ASPEC […]

Clarity in scope of remedies in claim of breach of confidence: Amber Compounding Pharmacy Pte Ltd and another v. Lim Suk Ling Priscilla and others

This Singapore High Court decision arose from the preliminary determination of an issue in law – specifically, whether the plaintiffs were entitled to simultaneously claim for both wrongful gain interest and wrongful loss interest. The defendants previously admitted to unauthorized copying and access, and breach of confidence in respect of the plaintiffs’ confidential information. In relation to […]

SINGAPORE: New Disclosure Framework Aims to Help Companies Improve Transparency Around Intangible Assets

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority have jointly launched the Intangibles Disclosure Framework (Framework), which provides guidelines to companies for identifying and disclosing various non-physical assets or intangibles, including intellectual property (IP) rights, to various stakeholders. Strategy—helps companies share and communicate how intangibles are relevant to, and used […]

Singapore Trademark Applications – Uncommon Grounds of Objections

Brand owners usually take steps to avoid potential conflicts from other similar trademarks and also try to devise marks which are not descriptive in nature. While this is an important pre-filing consideration, there are certain other potential uncommon objections that brand owners should take into consideration before filing their trademark in Singapore. Some of these […]

Tiger Pictures Entertainment Ltd v. Encore Films Pte Ltd: An expedited process in the interest of justice?

A recent High Court judgment was the first of its kind that concerned the “simplified process” for intellectual property claims in Singapore. The simplified process took effect in Singapore from April 1, 2022. It is a discretionary, streamlined process to expedite the management of intellectual property disputes to enable disputants (particularly SMEs) to save costs […]

ASEAN: Emerging trends in Southeast Asia’s autonomous vehicle patent landscape

According to data by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Bank, there has been an unprecedented interest in Southeast Asia as a patent filing destination, with the percentage of applicants filing in the ASEAN member states increasing each year. However, the autonomous vehicle (AV) technology patent landscape in this region remains nascent, […]