Calling for Public's Feedback on Upcoming Changes to the Intellectual Property Legislation

SINGAPORE, March 29, 2004 –The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) today officially announced the release of four draft bills to seek public feedback on the amendments to the upcoming intellectual property (IP) legislation.
The four draft bills are the Patents (Amendment) Bill 2004, Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill 2004, Plant Variety Protection Bill 2004 and Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2004.
"These bills will have direct impact on businesses in Singapore. In the spirit of full disclosure, the public will have from 27 March till 25 April 2004 to review and comment on these proposed changes before they are debated in the Parliament." said Ms Liew Woon Yin, Director-General of IPOS.
The bills are available for viewing and feedback at New IP Laws website (website has been decommissioned as at December 2006) ; IPOS' new website designed for industries to access information on the new IP law changes. The website also provides businesses a list of the FAQs that will help them better comprehend the forthcoming changes.
"For some companies, it will take time for them to review the proposed amendments. With this website, we are pointing businesses in the right direction so they are aware and prepared for the new changes," Ms Liew explained.
She added that IPOS will host a series of public engagement sessions, on 13 April. The topics of discussion are as follows:

9.30 - 10.30 am Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill 2004
11.00 - 12.30 pm Plant Variety Protection Bill 2004
2.00 - 5.00 pm Patent (Amendment) Bill 2004

Interested parties are invited to drop by these sessions and provide feedback. The sessions will be held at IPOS, located at 51 Bras Basah Road, #06-01 Plaza By The Park, Singapore 189554
Ms Liew added that IPOS is in the process of putting more resources in place to help people understand the new regulatory changes. One of these is an IP reference guide that provides easy to comprehend information on the new changes that is relevant to businesses. Copies of this reference guide have been circulated to Singapore businesses via the Industry associations. More talks and seminars are expected to be rolled out in the coming months
Being the lead agency for IP in Singapore, IPOS offers a wealth of resources for business owners who want to know more about the latest in Singapore's intellectual property developments and how they can ensure their ideas are protected and exploited. For more information, please visit www.ipos.gov.sg

For media enquiry, please contact:

Ms Jennifer Chen
Assistant Director
Media & Marketing Communications
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)
DID: 6331 6548
Fax: 6331 6562
Email: jennifer_chen@ipos.gov.sg

About IPOS
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore or IPOS (www.ipos.gov.sg) is the lead government agency that formulates and regulates intellectual property (IP) laws, promotes IP awareness and provides the infrastructure to facilitate the greater development of IP in Singapore. With IP fast becoming a critical resource in today’s new economy, IPOS’s vision is to foster a creative Singapore where ideas and intellectual efforts are valued, developed and exploited. Formerly known as the Registry of Trade Marks and Patents, IPOS was established as a statutory board of the Ministry of Law on 1 April 2001.