The Register of Patent Agents in Singapore

The Register of Patent Agents (573KB) contains details of names, practice addresses, dates of their registration, terms of practising certificates issued, and email addresses of all patent agents duly registered with the Registrar of Patents, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS).

In order to be so registered, applicants would have to meet the requirements found in the Patents (Patent Agents) Rules 2001.

Understanding the Register of Patent Agents

The requirements provide for the registration of individuals under two regimes: the New regime (N) and the Transitional regime (T) -

N (rule 6) : individuals who have been doing patent agency work on or after 2 Jan 2002. They are entitled to be registered after meeting the requirements set out in rule 6.
T (rule 23) : individuals who have been doing patent agency work in Singapore for a specified period, before 2 Jan 2002. They are entitled to be registered after meeting the requirements set out in rule 23.

Please click here (15KB) for some tips on understanding the Register of Patent Agents.

Laws on Patent Agents In Singapore (Extracts)

Section 105 of the Patents Act
Persons entitled to act as patent agents, etc.:

An individual shall not carry on a business, practise or act as a patent agent unless he is a registered patent agent, or an advocate and solicitor, who has in force a practising certificate.
A partnership shall not carry on a business, practise or act as patent agents unless at least one partner is a registered patent agent, or an advocate and solicitor, who has in force a practising certificate.
A body corporate shall not carry on a business, practise or act as a patent agent unless at least one director is a registered patent agent, or an advocate and solicitor, who has in force a practising certificate.
For the purposes of this section, a person is taken to carry on a business, practise or act as a patent agent if, and only if, the person does, or undertakes to do, on behalf of someone else, any of the following in Singapore for gain:
1. applying for or obtaining patents in Singapore or anywhere else;
2. preparing specifications or other documents for the purposes of this Act or the patent law of another country; or
3. giving advice (other than advice of a scientific or technical nature) about the validity, or infringement, of patents.
An individual shall not -
1. carry on a business under any name or other description which contains the words "patent agent"; or
2. in the course of a business otherwise describe himself, hold himself out or permit himself to be described or held out as a "patent agent",
3. unless he is a registered patent agent who has in force a practising certificate.
A partnership shall not -
1. carry on a business under any name or other description which contains the words "patent agent"; or
2. in the course of a business otherwise describe itself, hold itself out or permit itself to be described or held out as a firm of "patent agents",
3. unless at least one partner is a registered patent agent who has in force a practising certificate.
A body corporate shall not -
1. carry on a business under any name or other description which contains the words "patent agent"; or
2. in the course of a business otherwise describe itself, hold itself out or permit itself to be described or held out as a "patent agent", unless at least one director is a registered patent agent who has in force a practising certificate.
Any person who contravenes this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
Where Subsection (5), (6) or (7) would be contravened by the use of the words "patent agent" in reference to an individual, partnership or body corporate, it is equally contravened by the use of the expression "patent attorney" in reference to that person, or his business or place of business, or any other expression in reference thereto which is likely to be understood as indicating that he is entitled to be described as a "patent agent".
Where an individual’s employer does not carry on a business, practise or act as a patent agent, the individual does not contravene subsection (1) in respect of anything done, or undertaken to be done, by the individual for his employer in his capacity as employee of his employer.

10A. Where —
1. an individual’s employer is a member of a related company group;
2. the individual’s employer does not carry on a business, practise or act as a patent agent; and
3. any other member of the related company group does not carry on a business, practise or act as a patent agent, the individual does not contravene subsection (1) in respect of anything done, or undertaken to be done, by the individual for that other member of the related company group in his capacity as employee of his employer.
A legal officer does not commit an offence against Subsection (1) in respect of anything done, or undertaken to be done, by him on behalf of the Government.
A body corporate that is a member of a related company group does not contravene Subsection (3) in respect of anything done, or undertaken to be done, by the body corporate for another member of the group.
This section shall not be construed as prohibiting an advocate and solicitor from taking part in proceedings relating to patents and applications for patents and, in particular, shall not derogate from Section 93 as it applies to advocates and solicitors.
No offence is committed under Section 33 of the Legal Profession Act (Cap.161) by any person by reason only of the preparation by him of a document (other than a deed) for use in proceedings before the Registrar in relation to any patent or application for a patent.
In this section -
" director" , in relation to a body corporate whose affairs are managed by its members, means any member of the body corporate; "practising certificate" means -
1. in relation to a registered patent agent, a practising certificate issued to him under rules made under Section 104; or
2. in relation to an advocate and solicitor, a practising certificate issued to him under Section 25 of the Legal Profession Act; and "related company group" means a group of two or more corporations within the meaning of the Companies Act (Cap. 50) which are related to each other in accordance with Section 6 of that Act.

Entitlement to registration

Rule 6
Patent (Patent Agents) Rules 2001

    1.    Subject to Rules 7 and 8, an individual is entitled to be registered as a
           patent agent if he -
                a.    is resident in Singapore;
                b.    holds a university degree or equivalent qualification approved by the
                       Registrar;
                c.    has passed the course specified in Part I of the Third Schedule;
                d.    has passed the examination specified in Part II of the Third
                       Schedule; and
                e.    has completed internship in patent agency work under the
                       supervision of a registered patent agent, or an individual registered
                       as a patent agent or its equivalent in a country or territory, or by a
                       patent office, specified in the Fourth Schedule, for -
                       (i) a continuous period of at least 12 months; or
                       (ii) a total period of at least 12 months within a continuous period of
                            24 months.

Transitional provision as to registration of patent agents

Rule 23
Patent (Patent Agents) Rules 2001

    1.     Notwithstanding Rule 6, an individual is entitled to be registered as a patent
            agent if–
                a.   he is resident in Singapore;
                b.   immediately before 2nd January 2002, he was either -
                      (i) registered as a patent agent or its equivalent in any country or
                          territory, or by a patent office, specified in the Fourth Schedule;
                      (ii) an advocate and solicitor; or
                      (iii) the holder of a university degree or equivalent qualification that is
                           approved by the Registrar; and
                c.   he had carried out patent agency work, in Singapore –
                      (i) for a continuous period of 12 months immediately before 2nd
                          January 2002;
                      (ii) for a total period of 12 months at any time between 2nd January
                          2000 and 2nd January 2002; or
                      (iii) for such other period as the Registrar may allow, and had
                           been resident in Singapore during that period.

    2.        An application for registration of an individual referred to in paragraph (1)
               shall be made -
                a.    no later than nine months from 2nd January 2002; and
                b.    in accordance with Rule 7.

    3.        The Registrar may require the applicant to provide, within a specified
               period, such other supporting evidence as the Registrar considers
               necessary.

    4.        If the Registrar is satisfied that the applicant -
                a.    is entitled to be registered in accordance with paragraph (1);
                b.    is sufficiently proficient in the law of patents and has the
                       necessary knowledge and practical experience to carry out patent
                       agency work; and
                c.    is of good character, he shall register the applicant as a patent
                       agent by issuing to him a certificate of registration and entering his
                       name and other particulars in the register.

    5.        The Registrar may, before registering the applicant, require him to
               satisfy, within a specified period, such conditions as the Registrar
               considers appropriate.

    6.        The Registrar may subject the registration of the applicant to such
               conditions as the Registrar considers appropriate.

    7.        An application that is not made in accordance with this rule shall be
               refused.