INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF SINGAPORE (IPOS) (Boosting of IP development and patent applications)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF SINGAPORE (IPOS)

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(Boosting of IP development and patent applications): **

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Dr Tan Sze Wee asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law what is the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) doing to boost intellectual property development and to encourage more patent applications in Singapore beyond the current levels, when the number of patents filed were 7,884 in 2003, 8,266 in 2004 and 8,260 in 2005 respectively.

Prof. S Jayakumar: As Dr Tan has pointed out, local patent filing figures have held steady over the past few years. However, this should not be a cause for concern. Firms seek patent protection in markets where they intend to exploit their inventions commercially and these markets may not necessarily include Singapore.

For Singapore, what is more critical is for companies here to seek patent protection overseas in order to grow beyond our domestic market. One of the measures we look at is patent applications by Singapore-based entities in our major export markets. For instance, the number of patent applications filed by Singapore-based entities in the US, a major market, nearly doubled from 460 in 1999 to 880 in 2004. In terms of the number of international patent applications filed by developing countries through the Patent Cooperation Treaty, Singapore is ranked fourth in 2005 after far larger economies such as Korea (4,747), China (2,452) and India (648).

To further encourage the growth of patents filed by Singapore entities especially in overseas markets, IPOS will continue to promote greater awareness on the importance of IP protection through initiatives such as its monthly IP Consult sessions, the "Promising IP Enterprises" program and seminars on foreign IP regimes. IPOS is also working with IE Singapore to help Singapore firms with their IP management as they internationalise under IE Singapore's capability development programmes. Further, EDB administers a scheme - the "Patent Application Fund Plus" - to help defray the cost of obtaining patents. Since

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its inception in October 2002, an average of about 80 applications have been approved annually.

These programmes, taken as a whole, will serve to educate, encourage and equip Singapore firms to develop, protect and exploit their IP, including patents, so that they can reap the maximum reward for their creative efforts.

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