Updates

Circular: Excluded Days from 1 May 2024 to 13 May 2024 for business under IP Acts and Rules

1 April 2024

From 1 to 13 May 2024, certain IP-related services in Singapore will be unavailable due to migration to a new cloud platform. Alternative filing methods are provided for businesses needing to submit IP forms or documents during this period.

Circular No. 1/2024	Registry of Patents Registry of Designs Registry of Geographical Indications Registry of Plant Varieties
Circular No. 2/2024	Registry of Trade Marks

As part of a government-wide initiative and in line with Singapore's ongoing Smart Nation efforts to leverage new technologies, IPOS Digital Hub will be migrating to the Government on Commercial Cloud platform from 1 to 13 May 2024. During this period, IPOS Digital Hub and IPOS Go mobile app will not be available.

To facilitate the migration, the Registrar has issued Registries Practice Direction No. 1 of 2024 [PDF, 263 KB] (the “PD”) to specify that the period of 1 to 13 May 2024 (both dates inclusive) are excluded days for all business under the IP Acts and Rules, except for the following classes of business:

a. Applications to register IP (Forms TM4, MM2(E), PF1, D3, PVP3, GI1);

b. Applications to record registrable transactions (Forms CM6, CM7, CM8; Assent by Personal Representatives; Filing of Court Order);

c. Applications for Written Authority Sought under Section 34 of the Patents Act 1994; and

d. Conduct of case management conferences, pre-hearing reviews and hearings; and the submission of related documents, which relates to:

i. correspondence to inform or update on the person(s) attending case management conferences or pre-hearing reviews or request a vacation of the proceedings;
ii. additional or supplementary written submissions and bundle(s) of authorities; and
iii. rebuttal or reply written submissions and bundle(s) of authorities

For the period of 1 to 13 May 2024 (both dates inclusive), forms and documents for these classes of business should be submitted to IPOS through the relevant alternative filing mode as follows:

Items a – c: Please submit the forms and requests via FormSG (https://go.gov.sg/alternativefilingmode)
Item d: Please submit your documents via e-mail to ipos_hmd@ipos.gov.sg.

The PD and the accompanying circulars for the respective IP will detail the effects of excluded days on the expiry of time periods and date of filing.

a. Patents Circular No. 1 of 2024 [PDF, 164 KB] 

b. Trade Marks Circular No. 2 of 2024 [PDF, 164 KB] 

c. Designs Circular No. 1 of 2024 [PDF, 164 KB] 

d. Plant Varieties Circular No. 1 of 2024 [PDF, 164 KB] 

e. Geographical Indications Circular No. 1 of 2024 [PDF, 160 KB]

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