Starting 20 May 2025, qualified applicants for patent or trade mark protection can avail of an accelerated application and review process with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). The SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast programmes have been improved from IP FAST pilot programme, which concluded on 31 December 2024.
The SG Patents Fast Programme is open to applications that are not a divisional application in Singapore; and contain 20 or fewer claims. Each individual or corporation can only apply for up to 5 acceleration requests per month.
Persons seeking accelerated patent protection may choose between the SG Patents Fast 4 (to receive first office action within 4 months of successful application) or the SG Patents Fast 8 (to receive first office action within 8 months of successful application).
Acceleration requests must be made on Patents Form 11 (Request for a Search and Examination Report) or Patents Form 12 (Request for an Examination Report), with the payment of acceleration fee. Successful applicants qualify for acceleration of subsequent office actions on Patents Form 13A (Response to Written Opinion).
Acceleration fees for the SG Patents Fast, which are on top of the usual patent application fees, are as follows:
The SG Trade Marks Fast Programme is a fast-tracked application process where the first examination report or notice that the application has been published for opposition purposes, as applicable, may be expected within 3-6 weeks from the date of application.
To qualify, the application must:
Qualified applicants are no longer required to have a related patent application or to fully adopt pre-approved descriptions of goods and services from IPOS’s Classification Database.
The fees for the request for acceleration are SGD 200 per class (or SGD 250 per class for each class that does not adopt pre-approved descriptions from the IPOS Classification Database). Similarly, these acceleration fees are on top of the usual trade mark application fees.
The SG Patents Fast Programme and SG Trade Marks Fast Programme offer a faster way to secure patent and trade mark protections for qualified applications. Companies and inventors may want to consider these programmes when filing patent or trade mark applications.
OrionW regularly advises clients on intellectual property matters. For more information about intellectual property matters, or if you have questions about this article, please contact us at info@orionw.com.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.
