Maintaining Geographical Indications

For an Appointment of, Change of, Cessation to Act as an Agent for matters in relation to a GI application or registration:

• Form CM1 should be filed with IPOS.

• A change of an agent may also include the scenario where there is a change in legal entity of an agent (e.g. from ABC LLP to ABC Pte Ltd).

For a Change of (i) Name, (ii) Address, (iii) Singapore Address for Service, or (iv) Other Particular of the Applicant, Registrant, Agent or Other Party on Record:

• Form CM2 should be filed with IPOS.

• Form CM2 applies strictly to change (not correction) in the name or other particular of the applicant / registrant / agent / other party on record.

  • Where there is a correction of name or other particular of the applicant, registrant, agent or other party on record, Form CM4 should be filed.

For a Transfer of a Registered Geographical Indication to Another Party:

• Form CM8 should be filed with IPOS.

• Only the current registrant of the geographical indication (GI) is allowed to apply for a transfer of registration for the GI.

• The subsequent registrant of the GI (i.e. the transferee) should be in the capacity of:

  • A person who is carrying on an activity as a producer in the geographical area with respect to the goods to which the GI applies;

  • An association of persons who are carrying on activities as producers in the geographical area with respect to the goods to which the GI applies; or

  • A competent authority having responsibility for the GI.

To amend your geographical indication (GI) application:

• Form CM4 should be filed with IPOS. Where the GI application has been published, and the amendment affects the representation of the GI or the goods covered, the amendment shall be published in the Geographical Indications Journal.

• If the amendment relates to a change in the name or other particular of the applicant, please refer to "Change Details of Applicant, Registrant or Agent" above.

To rectify an error or omission in the Geographical Indications Register for a registered GI:

• If you are the registrant of the registered GI, Form CM4 should be filed with IPOS.

• Where the rectification is allowed by IPOS, the rectification details shall be published in the Geographical Indications Journal.

To correct a clerical error or an obvious mistake in an application (other than an application for registration of a GI), notice or other document:

• Form CM4 should be filed with IPOS.

Form CM5 should be filed with IPOS to request for extension of time for matters not relating to inter partes proceedings.

Please note that:

• Requests for extension of time should be filed before the expiry of the deadline to respond to IPOS.

• No fee is applicable for the first and second requests for extension of time, however, a fee is required for the third and subsequent requests for extension of time. The third and subsequent requests for extension of time must be accompanied by reason(s) and are subject to approval.

• A request for extension of time to renew a geographical indication (GI) registration or request for continued processing of a GI application is not allowed under Rule 83(11)(g) and (i) of the Geographical Indications Rules.

A letter of consent may be required to overcome a trade mark citation by obtaining consent from the proprietor or applicant of the earlier trade mark, to the registration and use of the geographical indication.

For guidance on how a letter of consent should be presented, please refer to the sample letter of consent [PDF, 49 KB].

An application for geographical indication (GI) is deemed “Treated As Abandoned (Continued Processing Possible)” if an applicant fails to respond to IPOS’ notice or fails to request for an extension of time within the time period specified in the notice.

Within 2 months after the expiry of the time period, the applicant can make a request for IPOS to continue processing the application by submitting Form CM13 with the relevant fee.

Please note that a request for extension of time to request for continued processing of a GI application is not allowed under Rule 83(11)(i) of the Geographical Indications Rules.

The rights of a geographical indication (GI) may be qualified in the Register in respect of:

1. Any name contained in the GI; or

2. Any term which may be a possible translation of the GI.

A request for qualification of rights clarifies the boundary between what is protected by the GI registration and what is available for use by third parties in relation to the GI.

A request for qualification of rights conferred in respect of a registered GI to be entered in the Register should be submitted using Form GI2. A statement of the grounds for the request must also be attached with Form GI2.

Such a request may be submitted at any time after the publication of the GI application in the Geographical Indications Journal but before the registration of the GI.

Where the qualification of rights is allowed by IPOS, the details shall be published in the Geographical Indications Journal. If there is no notice of opposition received or all opposition proceedings are withdrawn or decided in favour of the requestor, the qualification shall be entered in the Register upon the registration of the GI.

To withdraw a geographical indication (GI) application, you may file Form CM9 or submit a written request to IPOS.

After the withdrawal of a GI application, its status will be updated as “Withdrawn”.

To cancel the registration of a Geographical Indication (GI), you may file Form CM3.

A statement of grounds relied upon for the application for cancellation must be attached along with the Form CM3.

Form CM12 should be filed with IPOS to request for a copy of the required Register entry or extract.

If you additionally require a wet-ink IPOS seal to be stamped on the document, you can do so via Form CM12.

If you wish to have a physical stamp and wet-ink signature on a document issued to you by IPOS, please submit your request via Form CM12. Each document will be charged at $12.

If you are the applicant, registrant or agent on record for a geographical indication (GI) application or registration, you may submit a written request for file inspection of the GI application or registration by writing to us at ipos_enquiry@ipos.gov.sg.

Geographical indication applications which are accepted for publication will be published in the Geographical Indications Journal for public inspection.

Journals published are available for downloading at IPOS Digital Hub