In September 2002, Singapore established an Intellectual Property Court as the second of its new commercial courts. Cases will be heard before Judges or Judicial Commissioners who have IP expertise and experience. It is envisaged that the Intellectual Property Court will substantially decrease delays in court hearings and produce a greater uniformity in judgements.
The inauguration of an Intellectual Property Court goes hand in hand with Singapore’s goal of establishing itself as the IP hub of Asia. The Singaporean government has identified IP as the new area of economic growth for the country and estimates that there may be as many as 5,000 jobs created in the IP field over the next five years.
The government’s plans include the creation of an IP Academy, both to train IP professions as well as establish research programmes on current and emerging IP issues with the intention of putting Singapore at the forefront of IP developments. Closely linked with these initiatives is the introduction of various tax and incentive schemes in order to make it more attractive for companies to conduct IP management in and from Singapore.
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