Trade marks, patents and registered designs in Singapore are registered with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS); copyright arises automatically under the Copyright Act 2021. Singapore belongs to the main international filing systems, including the Madrid Protocol, the PCT and the Hague Agreement, so foreign owners can extend existing filings. Registration is territorial, and early filing in Singapore is the main protection against local squatting.
Trade marks
A registered trade mark gives 10 years of protection from the filing date and can be renewed every 10 years. Accepted applications are published for 2 months of opposition, and IPOS indicates that an application without objections or oppositions takes about 9 months to register. A mark that is not genuinely used in Singapore for 5 continuous years after registration can be revoked, so brand owners should keep evidence of local use.
Foreign owners can claim priority from a first filing in a Paris Convention or WTO country made within the previous 6 months, or designate Singapore in an international registration under the Madrid Protocol. Singapore-based businesses can file Madrid applications through IPOS on Form MM2(E).12345
Patents
A Singapore patent lasts 20 years from filing, with annual renewal fees from the 5th year. The invention must be new, inventive and industrially applicable, and protection is territorial, so foreign patents must be extended to Singapore, typically by entering the national phase of a PCT application at 30 months.
Singapore residents who want to file abroad first must obtain national security clearance from IPOS before doing so. Groups with research teams in Singapore should build this step into their filing process.6789
Copyright and ownership of created works
Copyright is governed by the Copyright Act 2021, in force since 21 November 2021. Authorial works are protected for the author's life plus 70 years. Employers own works created by employees in the course of employment, but commissioned works belong to the creator unless agreed otherwise in writing, which makes written IP assignment clauses essential in contractor, agency and software development agreements.
The Act also permits copying for computational data analysis, including machine-learning training, where the user has lawful access to the works, and this exception cannot be excluded by contract.101112
Disputes and enforcement
Oppositions, invalidation and revocation of registered rights are heard by IPOS's Hearings and Mediation Department, which encourages mediation in all proceedings and expert determination in patent cases. Infringement claims are brought in the courts.13
| Right | Term | International route | Key points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade mark | 10 years from filing, renewable every 10 years | Madrid Protocol (from 31 October 2000) | 2-month opposition period; revocation risk after 5 years' non-use |
| Patent | 20 years from filing | PCT (from 23 February 1995), national phase at 30 months | Annual renewal fees from year 5; security clearance for residents filing abroad first |
| Copyright | Author's life plus 70 years for authorial works | Berne Convention (from 21 December 1998) | No registration system; commissioned works belong to the creator unless agreed otherwise |
How it works, step by step
- Search the register for similar marks and classify goods and services under the Nice Classification4IPOS Digital Hub
- File the application (or designate Singapore in a Madrid international registration), claiming any 6-month priority25IPOS / WIPO
- Respond to any examination objections within 4 months4IPOS
- Publication in the Trade Marks Journal and 2-month opposition period4IPOS
- Registration, then diarise renewal from 6 months before the 10-year expiry1IPOS
No timings or fees are shown unless an official source states them.
Documents usually needed
- Trade mark specification of goods and services by Nice class
- Priority document details for any foreign first filing
- Patent specification and claims, or provisional application
- Written IP assignment clauses for contractors and commissioned works
- Evidence of trade mark use in Singapore
Common mistakes
- Launching a brand in Singapore before filing, leaving room for third-party applications.
- Assuming commissioned agency or software work belongs to the commissioning company without a written assignment.
- Filing a patent abroad first from a Singapore research team without obtaining national security clearance.
- Letting a registered mark go unused in Singapore for 5 years and exposing it to revocation.
- Missing the 6-month renewal and restoration windows, for which IPOS allows no extensions.
When the business crosses borders
- Madrid Protocol and PCT membership let foreign owners extend existing filings to Singapore rather than file from scratch.
- Paris Convention priority from a first foreign filing is available for 6 months for trade marks.
- IPOS acts as a PCT receiving office for Singapore residents and nationals, which matters for regional R&D hubs.
Questions businesses ask
Does copyright need to be registered in Singapore?
IPOS administers registration for trade marks, patents and designs; copyright protection arises under the Copyright Act 2021 without a registration process. Use of the copyright symbol is only a notice.10
How long does trade mark registration take?
IPOS indicates about 9 months where there are no deficiencies, objections or oppositions. A faster national route, SG Trade Marks Fast, started on 20 May 2025.4
What this guide does not yet confirm
These points need checking with a qualified local professional in Singapore before you rely on them.
- Registered design term and procedure were not researched.
- Border enforcement through Singapore Customs and criminal enforcement routes for counterfeits were not confirmed on official pages.
- Recordal requirements for licences and assignments were not confirmed; the IPOS page reviewed does not describe them.
- The statement that copyright has no registration system is based on IPOS pages that do not describe one, not on an express statement.
Sources and review status
Each statement is numbered to the source it was checked against. We use official sources where we can, and each statement says whether it was checked against an official or a secondary source. Sources last checked on 19 October 2026. None of it has been professionally reviewed yet: it is research checked against official and secondary sources by WONE Global, not legal or tax advice.
A Singapore-registered trade mark is protected for 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed every 10 years. Renewal can be filed from 6 months before expiry; late renewal is possible for 6 months after expiry and restoration in a further 6-month period, each at a higher fee; extensions of time are not allowed.
An applicant who first filed the same trade mark in a Paris Convention or WTO member within the previous 6 months can claim that earlier filing date as priority in Singapore. Applies only where the foreign filing was the applicant's first filing for that mark.
A registered trade mark may be revoked if it is not put to genuine use in Singapore for an uninterrupted period of 5 years after registration.
Accepted trade mark applications are published in the Trade Marks Journal and are open to opposition for 2 months; IPOS indicates registration takes about 9 months where there are no deficiencies, objections or oppositions. Responses to examination objections are due within 4 months, extendable. An accelerated SG Trade Marks Fast route for national applications started on 20 May 2025.
International trade mark applications under the Madrid Protocol can be filed through IPOS on Form MM2(E), based on a Singapore application for the same mark, with an IPOS administrative fee of S$250 plus WIPO fees in Swiss francs. The applicant must be a Singapore national, domiciled in Singapore or have a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment there. Foreign owners can also designate Singapore in an international registration.
A granted Singapore patent is protected for 20 years from the date of filing, subject to annual renewal fees from the 5th year. Fee amounts are listed in IPOS Forms and Fees (for example S$176 per year for years 5 to 7 on Form PF15).
To be patentable in Singapore an invention must be new, involve an inventive step and be capable of industrial application, and patent protection is territorial. Prior public disclosure can destroy novelty.
A person resident in Singapore who wants to file a patent application abroad first must obtain national security clearance from IPOS beforehand.
Patent applicants can enter the Singapore national phase from a PCT international application, which IPOS shows taking place at the 30th month.
The page does not state expressly that the 30 months run from the priority date, though that is the PCT standard.
The Copyright Act 2021 came into force on 21 November 2021, and authorial works with known authors are protected for 70 years after the author's death. Films and anonymous or pseudonymous works are protected for 70 years from making, making available or first publication, as applicable.
Under the Copyright Act 2021, works created by employees in the course of employment belong to the employer, and commissioned works belong to the creator, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing.
The Copyright Act 2021 permits copying of works for computational data analysis, including text and data mining and machine-learning training, where the user has lawful access, and this exception cannot be overridden by contract. Copies may not be shared except to verify results or for collaborative research, and may not be used for other purposes.
IPOS's Hearings and Mediation Department decides trade mark oppositions, invalidation and revocation and patent revocation proceedings, and IPOS encourages mediation for all proceedings and expert determination for patent proceedings. Infringement claims are pursued in court; IPOS proceedings concern registration and validity.
Invalidation is named on the IPOS trade mark disputes page (Resolve Disputes for trade marks).
Singapore is party to the Paris Convention and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (in force for Singapore 23 February 1995), the Berne Convention (21 December 1998), the Madrid Protocol (31 October 2000) and the Hague Agreement on industrial designs (17 April 2005). Also party to the Budapest Treaty, WCT, WPPT, Marrakesh Treaty and Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks.
Questions on this topic
14 statements on intellectual property and brand protection in Singapore
