The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) forged new Intellectual Property (IP) partnerships this week, enabling enterprises to use IP partnerships to access international markets and strengthen Singapore’s role as a global IP hub.
These long-term strategic agreements to cooperate and collaborate will enable smoother, faster adoption of IP standards so that innovations can be protected and utilised to enable enterprises to thrive. They were signed on the side lines of this year’s digital celebration of IP Week @ SG held from 25 to 27 August.
Mrs Rena Lee, Chief Executive of IPOS, said: “Global IP cooperation has taken on greater importance and urgency during the pandemic, especially given the many new medical discoveries that are being made in the fight against COVID-19. The agreements will strengthen global partnerships, which will in turn make it easier and faster for enterprises to respond to the pandemic and grow their business worldwide using Singapore as hub for their IP activities.”
CAMBODIA
IPOS and Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation are working towards recognising designs registrations and accelerate registration decisions. This complements the ongoing collaboration between the two countries on patent re-registration.
CHINA
Another agreement signed during IP Week @ SG 2020 was between IPOS International and China’s Capital Intellectual Property Services Association. It will see the two organisations partner and provide collaboration opportunities for IP firms, enterprises, research institutes and universities from Singapore, ASEAN and China.
They will also jointly organise seminars and training programmes to promote and increase knowledge and capabilities in IP protection, commercialisation and management for enterprises in the region.
Both IP partnerships come on the back of several agreements signed earlier this year with other countries in Asia and South America.
BRAZIL
IPOS and Brazil’s National Institute of Industrial Property agreed to concretise further cooperation through a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) – a pilot programme which aims to accelerate the examination process of patent applications. IPOS and Ecuador’s National Service of Intellectual Rights are working together to share best practices and knowledge in IP / intangible assets management and promote innovation between both countries.
MYANMAR
Closer to home, IPOS and Myanmar’s Intellectual Property Department will collaborate in a variety of areas such as patent work-sharing arrangements like PPH programmes, a patent re-registration agreement and outsourcing of patent search and examination work.
In addition, the Lao PDR’s Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Science and Technology officially appointed IPOS as a competent International ISA/IPEA on 7 July 2020. Enterprises can now rely on a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) report from IPOS to accelerate their patent grant in other countries.
Over 5,000 delegates, business owners and industry partners from around the world attended IP Week@SG, which went fully digital this year due to COVID-19. A number of associated events organised by partners of IPOS were held on the side lines of the conference and focused on strategies to promote innovation and help global companies thrive and grow amid the pandemic.
This year’s IP partners include the World Intellectual Property Organisation, The Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom, The United States Patent and Trademark Office, China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, and the Japan Patent Office and Japan External Trade Organisation, among others.
