The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore ("IPOS") has announced a pilot programme to accelerate grants of patent applications in all technology fields to just 6 months. The programme, SG Patent Fast Track will commence on 4 May 2020 and last for a period of nearly 2 years, until 29 April 2022.

This new programme replaces IPOS's two other patent grant acceleration schemes, the FinTech Fast Track ("FTFT") and Accelerated Initiatives for Artificial Intelligence ("AI2") launched in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Both schemes have seen considerable interest amongst local applicants. To date, 86 applications have been accepted for processing under the FTFT or the AI2 schemes, 70% of which were filed by Singapore entities.

To be eligible for the SG Patent Fast Track, the application:

  • must be first filed in Singapore, and
  • must contain 20 or fewer claims

Applications under the SG Patent Fast Track programme are assessed on a first come first served basis and there is a monthly quota on the number of applications that will be accepted for processing by IPOS. In addition, there is a cap of 10 requests per year per applicant. If the quota has been exceeded for the month, additional applications will be automatically funnelled to the existing 12 Months File-to-Grant accelerated grant programme.

There is no official fee to request for SG Patent Fast Track acceleration and the 12 Months File-to-Grant programme.

The SG Patent Fast Track programme is a welcome initiative for innovators that develop solutions with short lead time to market or solutions with short product lifecycles. Applicants can also make use of the examination results from IPOS to accelerate examination of corresponding foreign applications via Patent Prosecution Highways (PPH) and the ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation (ASPEC). Owners of patents granted in Singapore can also apply for the patent to be re-registered in Laos and Cambodia.

Originally published 4 May 2020

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