Public Consultation on Proposed Changes to Singapore’s Registered Designs Regime

12 OCT 2015

12 Oct 2015 Posted in Press releases

  1. The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) have today commenced a joint public consultation to seek feedback on proposed changes to Singapore’s registered designs regime. The public consultation will conclude on 7 December 2015.

Current system

  1. Singapore’s current registered designs regime is governed by Registered Designs Act and the Copyright Act.

This is the first review of the Registered Designs Act, which was first enacted in 2000. The review seeks to achieve the following objectives:

  1. Support modern business practices, in light of technological advances and the increasing sophistication in the use of designs as a business strategy;
  2. Provide business certainty, particularly in relation to the scope of design protection and threshold of infringement;
  3. Ensure that our design protection regime is cost-effective; and
  4. Balance the interests of creators and users.

Proposed issues

  1. The proposed issues which are being put up for public feedback fall into the following five categories:
    1. Scope of protection - Whether IP protection should be extended to a wider range of subject matter.
    2. Substantive examination - Whether IPOS should perform substantive examination, i.e. a search of prior art designs and an examination of the registrability of the design, before granting registration.
    3. Formalities and operational issues - Improving the design registration process to align with international practices, and better meet business needs.
    4. Infringement and enforcement - Enabling design rights holders to more effectively enforce their rights.
    5. Utility model protection - Whether Singapore should grant IP protection for sub-patentable inventions which are not purely aesthetic in nature.

Invitation for feedback

  1. Interested parties may view the public consultation paper online at (https://www.mlaw.gov.sg/news/public-consultations/) or (http://www.ipos.gov.sg/AboutIP/IPLegislation/PublicConsultations.aspx) and submit feedback in electronic or hard copy form via either of the following:

Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)

51 Bras Basah Road

#01-01,

Manulife Centre

Singapore 189554

Email: ipos_consultation@ipos.gov.sg


Intellectual Property Policy Division, Ministry of Law

100 High Street

#08-02, The Treasury

Singapore 179434

Fax: 6332 8842

E-mail: MLAW_Consultation@mlaw.gov.sg

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF SINGAPORE
MINISTRY OF LAW
12 OCTOBER 2015

Last updated on 12 Oct 2015