A trade mark could be a symbol, word or phrase which you use to distinguish your business’s goods or services from others. Trade marks can sometimes be identified by commonly-used symbols such as ® (registered trade mark) or ™ (unregistered trade mark).

Above all, a trade mark represents your brand, and is often how people know your brand by. This article addresses the process of trade mark registration, the benefits of registering your trade mark, and any questions you may have about trade mark registration in Singapore.

As a business-owner, you may have multiple trade marks, or a portfolio of marks.

Our lawyers will be able to:

  1. Advise you on the trade mark registration process from start to end, ensuring a smooth process
  2. Assist in dealing with any oppositions or objections to the registration of your trade mark
  3. Manage your entire portfolio of marks for you, saving you the hassle of registering individual marks
  4. See through your renewal process for your trade mark registration, should you wish to extend the protection of your trade mark for another 10 years
S/N Stage What is covered

Fees

1

Initial Consultation
  1. To meet the registration criteria, your trade mark must:

    a.    be represented graphically;

    b.    be distinctive and capable of distinguishing your goods or services from others;

    c.     not be identical or confusingly similar to existing trade marks;

    d.    not consist entirely of signs which are descriptive of your goods or services, or are customary in current language.

  2. At the initial consultation, our lawyers can review your trade mark(s) and advise you on whether your trade mark(s) is/are likely to make the registration criteria.

$200 per trade mark

2

Conduct research in the trade mark database
  1. To ensure that a similar trade mark has not been previously registered by others, our lawyers will assist you in conducting a Similar Mark Search on the IPOS Digital Hub.
    • This will save the need for additional time taken and costs accumulated for amendments to be made.

3

Advising you on classes and specifications
  1. Classes and specifications are essentially the products in conjunction with which you will use your brand. This will prevent passing off.
    • Our lawyers will advise you on the classes and specifications to register your trade mark under.
    • Our lawyers will also help to draft the classes and specifications for your trade mark.
  • $200 for one trade mark and one class
  • $100 for every additional class

4

Filing and processing of your trade mark application

Submission to Registration

  1. Our lawyers will submit the Form TM4 on your behalf when applying for a trade mark registration in Singapore via the IPOS Digital Hub. Let us have your details required in the form, and our lawyers will handle the rest.
  2. Once the essential filing requirements are met, a filing date will be accorded. If the trade mark is registrable, it will proceed to the publication stage.
  • Registration for the first class of goods and services: $450
  • Registration for each subsequent class of goods and services: $400

4A

Responding to the reasons for objections raised in examination report
  1. If the essential filing requirements are not met, you will receive an examination report, which will state the reasons for objection and the claimed goods and services that are being objected to. Our lawyers will assist you in responding to the report by:
    • providing any necessary information,
    • amending the application via Form TM27, where relevant, or
    • applying to the registrar in Form HC4 for a hearing
 Hourly Rates

5

Publish your trade mark
  1. If your trade mark application is accepted, your application will be published in the Trade Marks Journal for public inspection for 2 months. Third parties may oppose the registration of your trade mark. If there is no opposition, your application will proceed to registration.
 NIL

5A

Respond to opposition
  1. During the opposition period, anyone can object to the registration of a trade mark by starting opposition. The grounds of opposition overlap with registrability criteria used during examination.
  2. If the grounds of opposition are established, the application is refused. If the grounds of opposition are not established, the trade mark application progresses to registration.
  3. Our lawyers will examine the grounds of opposition and respond to the objections raised by third parties.
 Hourly rates

6

Register and Receive your trade mark certification
  1. Should there be no further objections to your application, your registration for the trade mark will be successful. IPOS will issue you a certificate of registration and the trade mark will be granted protection for 10 years.
 NIL