WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Singapore has some of the strictest and sturdiest intellectual property laws in Asia. This is because the Singapore government encourages its people to acquire IP rights for their intellectual property. Here are a few things that you should know about Singapore’s Intellectual Property Rights.

What is Intellectual Property?
Intellectual property, or IP for short, is exclusive rights to a certain creation under the law. Singapore has three types of IP rights that can be registered under the law which are copyrights, patents, and trademarks.

Copyright Law
The copyright law protects creators of literary and artworks. The copyright of a piece of work is already given to the creator once the piece of work has already been created. In order to prove ownership over a piece, the creator must prove that he or she created it first.

The only rule to the exception is when the creator gives ownership to another party with proof of transfer (e.g. if the creator is an employee and agreed to give full ownership of his or her works to his or her employer).

Patent Law
The patent intellectual property law is the IP right that protects inventions, designs, and formulas. This patent prevents other people from copying the idea, selling it, or using it without permission. It has an annual fee to retain its active status and lasts for 20 years.

Unlike copyright, a patent has to be registered and approved first before it is seen as the intellectual property of the creator. It must have a patent license issued by the government.

Trademark Law
The trademark law covers exclusive brand symbols, brand names, and logos. Just like a patent, you have to register all these brand symbols with the government to be recognized.

By registering in Singapore, no other business in the country can use your brand name, logo, and symbol or make anything similar for commercial use.

A trademark can last long term as long as it is renewed every 10 years. There are instances wherein a business does not need to register for a trademark and still be protected.

Other IP Laws
While these three are the main types of IP laws, there are other types such as trade secrets and other forms of designs. These have to be studied in order to get a full grasp of how they work. However, the three ones mentioned above are usually the ones that are often used when managing intellectual property.

How Singapore’s IP Laws Defend
Singapore is, in fact, known for their strict IP laws because they want to attract more IP registrations. Singapore has its own special IP court that is known for handling even the most complex of IP cases.

Aside from that, there would also be the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center which was built in 2010. The purpose of this organization is to help the IPOS solve disputes without having to reach the process of litigation.

As you can see, Singapore takes its IP laws and rights very seriously. There are in fact a lot of IP advisory and consultancy services that can help clients with their IP concerns. IPA Singapore is one of the most well-known IP consultancy services in the country.

They are known for their IP advisory Malaysia and Singapore services. Though their main headquarter is in Singapore, they also have an office in Malaysia so that they may also provide their efficient and effective intellectual property services in Malaysia.