Acceleration Programmes, Expedite Patent Filing

Acceleration Programmes

We offer several options the applicant may explore to speed up the patent grant process.

This will help to:

Provide early certainty to the patent application that you wish to protect;
Facilitate discussion promptly with interested investors;
Strengthen your company’s position in the market space ahead of time; and
Allow ease of synchronisation of your patent rights formation with product development

For more information on how to file a patent, please check out the filing procedure for a patent application.

Click on the buttons below to view the various acceleration programmes:
Domestic International Regional

Domestic Acceleration Programme

The SG IP Fast Track

On 1 May 2020, IPOS launched the SG Patent Fast Track programme to support the acceleration of patent applications in all technology fields. The programme was then expanded on 1 Sep 2020 to allow applicants with a patent application accelerated under this programme to also request for the acceleration their related trade mark and registered design applications. The programme was renamed as SG IP FAST. The expansion was to better support innovators and enterprises as they build and manage their IP portfolio, and commercialise their creations.

To continue supporting innovators and enterprises who require such an acceleration service, the SG IP FAST pilot programme will be available until 31 December 2024. Following its conclusion, IPOS will review and revise the pilot to better meet the evolving needs of innovators and enterprises in Singapore's dynamic IP landscape.

SG IP FAST programme details

Accelerated timelines for the different types of IP are as follows:

Straightforward patent applications can be granted in as fast as 6 months. Non-straightforward patent applications can be granted in as fast as 9 months.
Straightforward trade mark applications can be registered in as fast as 3 months. Non-straightforward trade mark applications can be registered in as fast as 6 months.
Registered design applications can be registered in as fast as 1 month.

SG IP FAST is available to patent applications filed for all inventions across all technological sectors.

There is a cap of 10 patent applications per month, with a further cap of 2 patent applications per entity (individual or corporate) under SG IP FAST. The cap will be reset on the first day of every month. There is no cap on the number of trade mark and registered design applications that can be accelerated.

With an expedited patent grant, innovators and enterprises gain certainty about their scope of rights. The early Singapore Search and Examination report will also give them a competitive advantage, as a means to springboard into global markets from Singapore.

Find out more about the eligibility criteria and request procedures for SG IP FAST from our SG IP Fast Track Circular. To expedite patent applications, applicants shall submit their requests by selecting the "Fast Track" acceleration type on Patents Form 11.

For real-time updates on quota usage, please refer to the IPOS Digital Hub homepage banner for details.

International

Patent Prosecution Highway

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is a worksharing programme that provides accelerated examination of a patent application by referencing examination results from another IP office.

Benefits:


Higher grant rate Average 92% grant rate across IP offices in 2023 (94% in Singapore).	Faster office action IPOS endeavours to issue a first office action in about 10 months from the date of PPH request.	Fewer office actions About 70% of patents granted at first office action in Singapore.

Complimentary	Flexible request Any time before examination starts.	Leverage on IPOS’ global network of more than 30 PPH partners including China, Japan, Korea, the United States and the European Patent Office. See below for more details.

How to Qualify for PPH

Corresponding or related patent applications for the same invention filed in the IPOS and in any of IPOS’ PPH-partner offices; and
Claim(s) that are determined to be allowable or patentable in application(s) filed in IPOS or in any of IPOS’ PPH-partner offices.
Request for PPH any time before examination has started, when filing with IPOS.

Who are the IPOS PPH-Partner Offices?

IPOS has PPH pilot programmes with the China National Intellectual Property (CNIPA), the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), the European Patent Office (EPO), the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), and the National Institute of Industrial Property of France (INPI France).
IPOS is also a participating office of the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) pilot programme, which has over 27 participating offices. The GPPH network includes the Japan Patent Office, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the German Patent and Trademark Office.
Under the GPPH pilot, a request for accelerated examination of an IPOS patent application can be made by relying on the patent search and examination results (national work products) or international search and/or examination results under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) (PCT work products) established by any of the other GPPH participating offices.

How to Initiate PPH

A PPH request is filed by the applicant with the IP office where examination of the patent application is to be accelerated.

Requesting search and examination or examination with IPOS

File Patents Form 11 or Patents Form 12 to request for search and examination or examination
Select the checkbox for “ASPEC/PPH” on Patents Form 11 or Patents Form 12 (PF11/PF12) and attach the relevant PPH documents.

After requesting search and examination or examination with IPOS

You can request for PPH anytime, provided the examiner has not started work.
Email PT_acceleration@ipos.gov.sg with the subject: "PPH acceleration requested“, the intention to make a PPH request, the IPOS application number; and whether amendments are required to conform the Singapore claims to the foreign allowed claims.
IPOS will advise you on the eligibility. If amendments for PPH request are required and examination has not started, IPOS will issue an invitation to amend (ITA).

Notifications

GPPH Pilot

PPH (IPOS-CNIPA) (launched on 1 September 2013)

PPH (IPOS-IMPI) (launched on 14 April 2014)

PPH (IPOS-EPO) (launched on 6 January 2015)

PPH (IPOS-INPI) (launched on 1 May 2020)

PPH (IPOS-SAIP) (launched on 12 September 2023)

Notice issued in September 2023 on filing PPH requests to IPOS
The requirements and procedures for filing PPH requests to SAIP can be found at this link: https://www.saip.gov.sa/patent-short-path/

PPH (IPOS-INPI France) (launched on 1 September 2024)

Regional

The ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation ("ASPEC") was launched on 15 June 2009.

It is the regional patent work-sharing programme among 9 participating ASEAN Member States IP Offices of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Applicants may use the search and examination ("S&E") reports of participating IP Offices to accelerate the patenting process in any one of the other participating IP Offices.

From 27 August 2019, applicants can enjoy 2 new features under ASPEC:

ASPEC AIM - a committed turnaround time of 6 months to receive the first office action if an ASPEC request is made for Industry 4.0 patent applications and

PCT-ASPEC - additional choice of relying on a Patent Cooperation Treaty ("PCT") reports issued from an ASEAN International Searching Authority/International Preliminary Examining Authority ("ISA/IPEA")^[1]

Features of ASPEC

Fast-track patenting process in any 9 ASEAN IP Office
One common form with no additional fee
Operate in English resulting in potential cost saving for translation
ASPEC requests can be made electronically through the ASEAN IP Portal

aspec-diagram20651d77c2d0635fa1cdff0000abd271

How to Qualify

You may consider using ASPEC if you have corresponding patent applications at any 2 participating IP Offices and one of the offices has issued an examination report^[2] indicating at least one allowable claim. The participating IP Office that issued the examination report is the “first IP Office”. Under PCT-ASPEC, the ASEAN ISA/IPEA that issued the international preliminary examination report/written opinion is the first IP Office. The participating IP Office where the ASPEC Request Form is filed is the “second IP Office”.

ASPEC and the New Features, Scope and Procedures

	ASPEC	ASPEC AIM ^{ASPEC Acceleration for Industry 4.0 Infrastructure and Manufacturing}	PCT-ASPEC ^{Patent Cooperation Treaty-ASPEC}
Feature	Rely on national written opinion or final examination report issued by participating IP Offices	Prioritise Industry 4.0 patent applications for 1st office actions to be issued within 6 months	Broaden the use of ASPEC to rely on PCT reports issued from an ASEAN ISA/IPEA
Duration and Capacity	Since 2009 Acceptance of written opinion will be implemented for ASPEC request made on or after 15 June 2021	Pilot extended (27 August 2019 to 26 August 2025) 50 applications per year	Pilot extended (27 August 2019 to 26 August 2025) 100 applications per year
Type of Invention	All types	Inventions related to Industry 4.0 (Refer to the applicable IPCs here)	All types
Qualifying criteria	ASPEC request can be filed at any participating IP Office if you have (i) filed a corresponding patent application for the same invention in any other participating IP Office and (ii) Written opinion or final examination report issued by one of the participating IP Offices with at least one allowable claim
Scope	Applicable to written opinion or final examination report established by participating IP Offices. If IPOS is first IP Office, the result will be based on: a request for a search report (from Patent Form 10); or a request for a S&E report (from Patent Form 11); or a request for an examination report (from Patent Form 12)	Applicable if the first IP Office determines that the invention is related to Industry 4.0	Applicable to PCT reports established by ASEAN ISA/IPEA but not extended to supplementary international search reports
Fee	No additional fee
Time period to file ASPEC request	Any time before final decision of grant or refusal
Procedures and documentation required	1. File the following documents in the second IP Office: Completed ASPEC Request Form where applicable^[2] Copy of the written opinion or final examination report of a corresponding patent application Copy of claims referred to with at least one allowable claim If relying on a written opinion for ASPEC 2. Email (PT_acceleration@ipos.gov.sg) and the second IP Office ASPEC focal point with the following information: Application no. from first IP Office; Desired second IP Office and application no. in the Second IP Office; Date of request; and Applicant.	1. File the following documents in the second IP Office: Completed ASPEC Request Form where applicable^[3] (To indicate it is an ASPEC AIM request in the ASPEC form or cover letter) Copy of the written opinion or final examination report of a corresponding patent application Copy of claims referred to with at least one allowable claim 2. Email (PT_acceleration@ipos.gov.sg) and the second IP Office ASPEC AIM focal point ^[3] with the following information: Application no. from first IP Office; Desired second IP Office and application no. in the Second IP Office; Date of request; and Applicant.	1. File the following documents in the second IP Office: Completed ASPEC Request Form where applicable^[2] (To indicate it is an PCT- ASPEC request in the ASPEC form or cover letter) Copy of written opinion or international preliminary examination report established by an ASEAN ISA/IPEA for a corresponding patent application (International Search report should also be provided where applicable.) Copy of claims referred to with at least one allowable claim 2. Email (PT_acceleration@ipos.gov.sg) and second IP Office PCT-ASPEC focal point ^[3] with the following information: PCT application no; Desired second IP Office and application no. in the second IP Office; Date of request; Applicant.

^[1]Currently, ASEAN ISA/IPEA refers to the IP Offices of Singapore and the Philippines.^[2]For ASPEC request made on or after 15 June 2021, written opinion is an acceptable S&E result for all participating AMS IP Offices except the IP Office of Thailand. More than one written opinion from participating AMS IP Offices may be used.

^[3]It is mandatory to submit an ASPEC request form to the IP Offices of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR., Malaysia, Philippines & Thailand.

More Information on ASPEC

For any questions on ASPEC, you are welcome to contact us at PT_acceleration@ipos.gov.sg.

1) Re-register their Singapore Patents at the MIH or the DIP

IPOS has patent cooperation with the Ministry of Industry & Handicraft (MIH) of Cambodia and the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) respectively to provide greater support to innovators seeking protection in Cambodia and Laos. Under the cooperation, applicants will be able to:

Cambodia	Laos
Re-register their Singapore patents at the MIH A Singapore patent can be re-registered in Cambodia subject to the following conditions: • The Singapore patent must be in force at the time of lodgement of re-registration request; • The Singapore patent must have a filing date on or after 22 January 2003; and • The Singapore patent must meet the Cambodian requirements for patentability Applicants without an address for service in Cambodia may submit their request through a Cambodia patent agent firm or law firm. Please refer to detailed guideline on the re-registration process. The official form and continuation sheets for re-registering a Singapore patent in Cambodia are as follows: Official Form and Continuation Sheet	Re-register their Singapore patents at the DIP A Singapore patent can be re-registered in Laos subject to the following conditions: • The Singapore patent must be in force at the time of lodgement of re-registration request; • The Singapore patent must have a filing date on or after 17 January 2002; and • The Singapore patent must meet the Laotian requirements for patentability Please refer to detailed guideline on the re-registration process.

Cambodia

Laos

Re-register their Singapore patents at the MIH

A Singapore patent can be re-registered in Cambodia subject to the following conditions:

• The Singapore patent must be in force at the time of lodgement of re-registration request;

• The Singapore patent must have a filing date on or after 22 January 2003; and

• The Singapore patent must meet the Cambodian requirements for patentability

Applicants without an address for service in Cambodia may submit their request through a Cambodia patent agent firm or law firm.

Please refer to detailed guideline on the re-registration process.

The official form and continuation sheets for re-registering a Singapore patent in Cambodia are as follows:
Official Form and Continuation Sheet

Re-register their Singapore patents at the DIP

A Singapore patent can be re-registered in Laos subject to the following conditions:

• The Singapore patent must be in force at the time of lodgement of re-registration request;

• The Singapore patent must have a filing date on or after 17 January 2002; and

• The Singapore patent must meet the Laotian requirements for patentability

Please refer to detailed guideline on the re-registration process.

2) Submit an IPOS-issued Search and Examination (S&E) report to the MIH or the DIP for the Grant of a Cambodia or Laos Patent Application

Cambodia	Laos
Submit an IPOS-issued Search and Examination (S&E) report to MIH for the grant of a Cambodia patent application Patent applicants who have a Cambodia related patent application may request IPOS to submit a copy of the (i) final S&E report issued by IPOS and (ii) final specifications of the Singapore related patent application to the MIH for the grant of a Cambodia patent application. To facilitate the grant of the Cambodia patent application, the applicant may also request for the specifications of the Cambodia related patent application to be amended accordingly to the final specifications of the Singapore related patent application. Please refer to the detailed procedure for the submission process, including a non-exhaustive list of examples of related patent applications.	Submit an IPOS-issued Search and Examination (S&E) report to DIP for the grant of a Laos patent application Patent applicants who have a Laos related patent application may request IPOS to submit a copy of the (i) final S&E report issued by IPOS and (ii) final specifications of the Singapore related patent application to the DIP for the grant of a Laos patent application. To facilitate the grant of the Laos patent application, the applicant may also request for the specifications of the Laos related patent application to be amended accordingly to the final specifications of the Singapore related patent application.

Cambodia

Laos

Submit an IPOS-issued Search and Examination (S&E) report to MIH for the grant of a Cambodia patent application

Patent applicants who have a Cambodia related patent application may request IPOS to submit a copy of the (i) final S&E report issued by IPOS and (ii) final specifications of the Singapore related patent application to the MIH for the grant of a Cambodia patent application.

To facilitate the grant of the Cambodia patent application, the applicant may also request for the specifications of the Cambodia related patent application to be amended accordingly to the final specifications of the Singapore related patent application.

Please refer to the detailed procedure for the submission process, including a non-exhaustive list of examples of related patent applications.

Submit an IPOS-issued Search and Examination (S&E) report to DIP for the grant of a Laos patent application

Patent applicants who have a Laos related patent application may request IPOS to submit a copy of the (i) final S&E report issued by IPOS and (ii) final specifications of the Singapore related patent application to the DIP for the grant of a Laos patent application.

To facilitate the grant of the Laos patent application, the applicant may also request for the specifications of the Laos related patent application to be amended accordingly to the final specifications of the Singapore related patent application.

Besides patents, applicants can also re-register their Singapore design in Cambodia. Click here for more information.

A first in ASEAN, the Collaborative Search and Examination (CS&E) is a programme between the IP offices of Singapore and Viet Nam to speed up the patent search and examination process for innovators who wish to file patents in both countries.

This pilot programme was launched on 1 March 2023 for an initial period of 2 years, and further extended for an additional 2 years till 28 February 2027.

Features and benefits of CS&E

Features


Complimentary CS&E Request until 28 February 2027. Official patent filing fees and search and examination fees still apply.	Enhanced Prior Art Search and Examination Results through combined expertise from both Offices.

Benefits


Accelerated First Office Action within 10 months on the patentability of the invention for informed decision making, enabling innovative enterprises to determine their go-to-market strategy earlier.	Deferred Translation and Official Costs for Patent Filing and/or Search and Examination for the office of later filing/examination until the applicant makes a subsequent filing for a claim of right of priority or a request for search and examination.	Prioritised Examination at the office of later filing/examination if the claims filed in office of later filing/examination sufficiently correspond to the claims referred to in the CS&E report issued by the office of earlier filing/examination.

How it works - An overview

Before you apply

Check that you meet the following criteria:

Local representative/address: Applicant must fulfil the local representative/address for service requirements, as applicable in accordance with the respective national law ^[1].
Claims criteria: Application should contain 20 or fewer claims including three or fewer independent claims.
CS&E volume limit: The request for CS&E is made within the cap limits. A notification will be published on IPOS Digital Hub Banner once the monthly cap is reached ^[2].

Cap per year: 20 (combined cap shared by IPOS and IP Viet Nam)
Cap per month: 2*
Cap per applicant: 2 per individual/entity per month

*Unutilised number will be rolled over to the following month, subject to a maximum cap of 4 per month. The monthly cap resets every first day of the month.

[1] In the case of IPOS as Office A, for the purposes of any proceeding before the Registrar, an address for service in Singapore shall be furnished. The applicant may also appoint an advocate and solicitor or any other person to act on his/her behalf and provide an address for service in Singapore (Singapore Patents Rules 31 and 91).[2] In the case of IPOS as Office A, application should not have proceeded under other acceleration programmes (i.e., SG IP FAST, ASPEC, PPH).

How you apply

If you meet the above criteria, you can proceed to apply for the CS&E programme:

To apply to IPOS as Office A, submit these documents concurrently to IPOS^[3]
a. Request for CS&E, and
b. Request for Search and Examination Report (Patents Form 11) [In Patents Form 11, please select “CS&E (Collaborative Search & Examination)” under Request for Acceleration drop down list].
*Documents must be submitted in English ^[4].
Respond to deficiencies (if applicable): If a deficiencies notification is issued, applicant must respond within two weeks from the receipt of deficiencies notification to remain in the CS&E programme.
Click here to start the filing process with IPOS as Office A and click here to start the filing process with IP Viet Nam as Office A. IP Viet Nam also accepts paper filing.

^[3] Patent protection is territorial. Patent rights can only be obtained by filing a patent application in the country you wish to obtain a protection.

^[4] English will be the operational language for the duration of the pilot programme. For the duration of the pilot, exchanges of all documents between Offices will be in English or translated in English. English translations will be provided by the relevant Office for the duration of the pilot.

Official patents filing fees*

Filing with IPOS as Office A

Request for Search and Examination Report

Patents Form 11

$1,750 (for national phase applications if the International Preliminary Report on Patentability was established by IPOS)

$2050 (for any other applications)

Request for Collaborative Search & Examination

No Fee

*Fees as at August 2024.

More information on CS&E - Contact us

IPOS

Please send your enquiries to: PT_acceleration@ipos.gov.sg