It was recently reported in the local press that the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) is to become a statutory board in April next year.
The new statutory board would be given a financial and manpower boost so as to able to respond faster and better to the ever-growing demands on it for new intellectual property services, and to complement burgeoning local research and development efforts. It would also strive to achieve closer connections with established foreign intellectual property centres, and collaborate with international agencies to support global intellectual property initiatives.
Minister of State (Law and Home Affairs) Ho Peng Kee announced all this recently at the signing of a seven-party Memorandum of Understanding to develop a pool of trained patent agents here. The other parties who signed the Memorandum were the National Science and Technology Board, Law Society of Singapore, Law Faculty of the National University of Singapore and three other patent organisations.
The Memorandum is aimed at promoting the protection of inventions by means of patent registration, and improving patent agent services in Singapore.
Ms Liew Woon Yin, the Registrar of Trade Marks and Patents, has said that IPOS plans to start a Registry of Patent Agents here next year. Its plans include a two-year training programme to prepare patent agent candidates for professional examinations run by IPOS. The programme would involve a 16-week law course leading to a Graduate Certificate in IP law, followed by a nine-month drafting course conducted locally and organised by a European patent agent organisation, The Federation Internationale des Conseils en Propriete Industrielle. Finally, a one-year attachment with practising patent agents here and overseas would complete the training.
The patent system in Singapore now looks set to enter a new stage of development, with the nurturing of a competent pool of local patent agents equipped with precise language skills and strong technical expertise.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
