The current legal basis for trademarks in Singapore is the Trademark Law revised in 2005, and its related subsidiary regulations (including the Trademark Rules and relevant international trademark registration rules). Singapore became a party to the Madrid Agreement on October 31, 2000. In Singapore, any sign that can be represented graphically and that can be distinguished from the goods or services of others in the course of transactions, including any letters, words, names, signatures, numbers, equipment, brands, titles, labels, bills, Shape, color, packaging or any combination of the above elements can apply for trademark protection in Singapore such as word mark, graphic mark, collective mark, joint mark, hologram mark, three-dimensional mark, color mark, sound mark, etc. Singapore can provide trademark protection for one mark and multiple categories.
1. Trademark authority
- Intellectual Property Office of Singapore: English: Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
- Website: IPOS | Trade Marks
- Trademark Search: Search and Inquiry (ipos.gov.sg)
2. How to apply for trademark registration
- electronic submission
3. Trademark registration application language
- English
4. Documents required for trademark registration application
- Applicant’s name, address and nationality must be submitted
- Trademark pattern
- List of goods and/or services for which protection is sought
A power of attorney and priority documents are not required for trademark applications in Singapore.
5. Singapore trademark registration application process
- An application for trademark registration in Singapore goes through the following stages: Submission of application - Acceptance - Trademark review (formal review and substantive review) - Announcement (2 months) - Approval of registration - Issuance of registration certificate (electronic certificate), formal review will be carried out on the application Documents, trademark drawings, power of attorney and other documents will be reviewed for legality, and if they meet the regulations, the application date and application number will be awarded. After the preliminary review and announcement of no objection, the trademark registration application stage will be determined. IPOS will examine whether a trademark is registrable, including whether it is registrable, whether it is identical or similar to a previously registered trademark, and whether it violates the prohibited provisions of the trademark law, including examining geographical names. For pharmaceutical trademarks, it will examine whether it contains Protected International Nonproprietary Trade Name, which is the general name for special medicines designated by the World Health Organization. For trademarks that fail to pass examination, the examiner will issue an examination opinion to notify the applicant and inform the applicant of the reasons for rejection. The application can be reviewed within 2 months from the receipt of the rejection notice. Otherwise, the application will be deemed abandoned, and the application date and application number will not be retained. Trademarks that have been reviewed will be finally accepted and published on the Singapore Official Trademark Gazette. There is an opposition period of four months from the date of announcement. Trademarks that are ruled to be registrable after opposition, or trademarks that are not opposed after being authorized to be announced will be allowed to be registered and a registration certificate will be issued.
6. Documents required for trademark change/transfer
- Change information
- power of attorney
- transfer agreement
- Trademark registration certificate
7. Trademark cancellation
- If a Singapore trademark is not used within five years from the date of registration, it may be revoked.
8. Trademark objections
- The objection period is 2 months from the date of trademark announcement, and anyone can file an objection to the announced trademark.
9. Authorization, validity period and trademark renewal
- The Singapore trademark application fee includes the authorization fee and does not need to be paid separately. The validity period of a Singapore trademark is 10 years from the date of application. Trademarks can be renewed an unlimited number of times, each time for 10 years, and a renewal fee is required. Renewable within 6 months of expiration.
10. Average time for trademark authorization
- If the trademark registration goes smoothly, the average time for trademark registration in Singapore is 12 months.
11. Other matters needing attention
- Singapore can apply for a series of trademarks without incurring additional fees; the series of trademarks are similar to each other in terms of constituent elements, as long as they are not related to the distinctiveness of the trademark and have no significant impact on the trademark itself, such as color, capitalization, etc.
- Singapore does not have an expedited review mechanism.
- Starting from May 26, 2022, IPOS will implement a partial rejection mechanism: if a trademark is partially rejected, if the applicant fails to respond within the time limit, only the rejected goods/services will be deemed to have been withdrawn (Treated as Withdrawn), and the others will not be considered. The rejected goods and services will be approved for registration; the applicant can apply for resumption of continued examination within 2 months from the date the trademark is deemed to have been withdrawn. During this period, the examiner may still cite the trademark that is deemed to have been withdrawn. Reject a later application for a trademark.
