The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) in its continuing effort to expand support to innovators, launched a new programme named the “SG Patent Fast Track” on 4 May 2020 to replace the existing patent acceleration programmes, namely FinTech Fast Track and Accelerated Initiative for Artificial Intelligence (“AI2”), which ceased on 25 April 2020 and […]
Tag: Patent
Brand Drug Owners Vindicated Against Generics Seeking to Launch Without Declaring Relevant Patents Under Patent Linkage Regime
INTRODUCTION The Singapore Court of Appeal’s judgment in Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc v Drug Houses of Australia Pte Ltd [2019] SGCA 31 heralds momentous change in the pharmaceutical sector for brand drug owners seeking to enforce patents against generic competitors. The Court reversed an interlocutory decision of the High Court that made it difficult for brand […]
Philippines – IPOPHL Clarifies Rules for Filing Divisional Patent Applications
On 1 September 2018, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (“IPOPHL”) issued a Memorandum Circular No. 18-0031 setting out the conditions and considerations when filing a divisional patent application in the Bureau of Patents (“BOP”). According to rules 610 and 611 of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations2 (Revised IRR), an applicant can file […]
Patentability of Computer Related or Implemented Inventions (CRIs or CIIs) in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and India
Patent legislation and practice in the patentability assessment of computer related or implemented inventions differ from country to country. “Computer Related Inventions” (“CRIs”) or “Computer Implemented Inventions” (“CIIs”) has been given an explicit definition in some countries such as in Philippines and India. These countries both define CRIs or CIIs as those inventions involving computers, […]
Improvements in the India IP Scene
The US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center (“GIPC”) has recently released its 2018 Intellectual Property Index (“IPI”) in February 2019. India has improved on its previous 2017 position of 44 in 2017 and now ranks at number 36 out of 50 countries. Countries are ranked annually by the GIPC based on their trademark, […]
Singapore: Sunseap Group Pte Ltd & 2 Ors v Sun Electric Pte Ltd
In Sunseap Group Pte Ltd v Sun Electric Pte Ltd [2019] SGCA 4 (“Sunseap v Sun Electric”), the Court of Appeal, on 10 January 2019, in overturning the decision of the High Court, held that the High Court has original jurisdiction to hear patent revocation proceedings where such proceedings were brought by way of a […]
The Patent Landscape for Autonomous Vehicles in Singapore
Self-driving or Autonomous Vehicles (“AV”) are set to be a reality, and no longer the stuff of science fiction. In Singapore, pilot trials are ongoing at the one-north district, a business park located in Queenstown, an area recognized for innovation, with the likes of Exploit Technologies (the commercialisation arm of the government body Agency for […]
A Testament of Singapore’s FinTech Fast Track (FTFT) Initiative
The first patent using the FinTech Fast Track Initiative (“FTFT”) was recently granted by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (“IPOS”) to Voyager Innovations Inc., a Philippines-based company that focuses on the delivery and development of digital technology services. The FTFT is a program designed to assist Financial Technology (“FinTech”) enterprises within the region to […]
Postponement Regimen on ‘Patent Working Requirements’ introduced by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Indonesia)
Article 20 of Law No. 13 of 2016 on patents that came into effect on August 26, 2016, requires patent holders to “work” their patents in order to support the transfer of technology, investment and/or job opportunities in Indonesia. To comply with the working requirements, patent holders need to implement their patents, for example, by […]
Singapore Patent Protection Examined in Car Crash Camera Case
Validity | Novelty | Inventive Step | Infringement | Groundless Threat | Expert Witness | Patent Construction The judgment in Lee Tat Cheng v Maka GPS Technologies Pte Ltd [2017] SGHC 48 concerned an infringement action and an application for a declaration of infringement brought by Mr. Lee Tat Cheng (“the Plaintiff”), proprietor of Singapore […]