Filing a Singapore Patent Application
A Practical Guide for Businesses and Inventors
This guide explains how a Singapore patent application is filed and examined, and how Cantab IP supports you throughout the process. It focuses on a common route for patent filing in Singapore and is intended to give you a clear picture of the steps, the timing and the decisions you will make with us.
Overview of the Singapore Patent Process
A Singapore patent application begins with the preparation of a full patent specification, followed by filing at the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). After filing, your patent application in Singapore is published, examined and, if the Examiner is satisfied, granted as a Singapore patent. The procedure is flexible enough to accommodate different commercial needs, but the quality of the initial specification is critical because it fixes the technical disclosure on which your eventual patent rights will rest. Cantab IP handles every stage of the Singapore patent process, from drafting and filing through to examination and grant.
Preparing a Patent Specification for Singapore
A Singapore patent application should include a detailed description of your invention, one or more claims, any drawings required to understand the invention and a short abstract. The claims define the legal protection that the Singapore patent will confer and we consider this to be the core of the specification.
A well-prepared patent specification usually begins with the drafting of the claims. A good patent attorney in Singapore will usually draft the claims first, then construct the description and drawings around them to ensure that the claims are fully enabled and supported by the disclosure. This avoids gaps in technical detail and reduces the risk of objections during examination of your Singapore patent application.
Although Singapore law permits a patent application to be filed before the claims are finalised, this is not recommended. Filing an incomplete “provisional”or lightly drafted specification can lead to loss of priority, insufficiency and added subject matter problems. The first filing essentially fixes what you have disclosed for all later patent filings, including foreign applications, so the specification should be drafted to full international priority-standard quality from the outset. At Cantab IP, we prepare the Singapore patent filing to the same standard as a UK or European first filing.
Filing the Singapore Patent Application
Once the draft is agreed, we file the Singapore patent application electronically using IPOS Digital Hub. The Singapore filing date is important because it establishes your position in the global patent system. If you have earlier patent applications abroad within the past twelve months, we can claim priority so that your Singapore patent application is treated as if filed on the earlier date for the citability of prior art.
International Patent Protection
If the Singapore patent application is the first filing anywhere in the Paris Convention countries, it can also act as the priority application for an international phase filing under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. A PCT application may be filed within twelve months of the Singapore filing date and preserves your right to seek patent protection in more than 150 countries. The PCT route does not itself lead to the grant of a patent, but it offers a single consolidated filing as well as a centralised search and preliminary patentability opinion. It also allows you to defer the cost of entering national phases while you assess markets, funding and commercial strategy. Cantab IP can guide you through the process of seeking international protection for your invention.
Publication of your Singapore Patent Application
Your Singapore patent application is published approximately eighteen months from the earliest priority date (or the filing date if no priority has been claimed). Publication makes the application publicly available and puts third parties to notice, so that back damages are potentially available to the date of publication. Earlier publication is possible if you have commercial reasons for bringing the application into the public domain sooner. After publication, your Singapore patent application may then also be cited as prior art against later filings.
Search and Examination of a Singapore Patent Application
Every Singapore patent application must undergo substantive examination. Examination can follow several routes depending on your patent strategy and the results already obtained from other patent offices. We will advise you on the most efficient and cost-effective route for search and examination in Singapore.
The Examiner considers whether the claims are new, inventive and sufficiently disclosed, under Singapore patent law. IPOS issues a written opinion identifying any objections to the Singapore patent application. It is possible to argue against these objections or to amend the claims. Cantab IP can help prepare a response and claim amendments where necessary. We will engage with the Examiner until the application is in order for grant.
Acceleration Options for Patents in Singapore
IPOS offers several acceleration schemes that can shorten the search and examination stages for Singapore patent applications. These include the Patent Prosecution Highway, ASPEC and the SG IP FAST programme. Each scheme has its own eligibility criteria and supporting requirements. These programmes can reduce the time to grant significantly, especially where positive results have already been issued by other patent offices for corresponding foreign patent applications. Cantab IP advises whether acceleration is worthwhile in your situation and prepares the supporting submissions for the chosen acceleration route.
Grant and Renewal of a Singapore Patent
When the Examiner is satisfied, IPOS grants a patent and issues the certificate of grant. It is then possible to enforce the patent against any infringers. The Singapore patent then remains in force for twenty years from the filing date, subject to payment of annual renewal fees. Cantab IP monitors renewal deadlines for your Singapore patent portfolio and manages renewal fee payments on your behalf so that valuable patent rights in Singapore are not lost through an inadvertent missed deadline.
Why Instruct Cantab IP for Singapore Patent Filing?
A strong Singapore patent begins with a well-drafted patent specification. We prepare the initial Singapore filing with the same care as a full priority-setting application, ensuring a complete disclosure that supports meaningful patent protection in Singapore and abroad. We handle all deadlines and communications with IPOS, maintain clear cost visibility and guide you through each decision affecting scope, timing and cost. Our patent attorneys have extensive experience in Singapore, the UK and Europe and understand the expectations of Examiners across these systems. This helps us secure robust Singapore and international patent protection efficiently and with minimal disruption to your business.
Next Steps to File a Patent Application in Singapore
If you are considering a filing aSingapore patent application, the simplest starting point is to send us a short, non-confidential description of your invention. We can then outline the Singapore patent filing options, timing and likely costs and help you plan the most effective route forward for protecting your technology in Singapore and internationally.