Singapore speeds up processing time for tech patent application

Alibaba Group was granted an AI patent in a record time of three months.

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) announced a series of initiatives in support of ASEAN Industry 4.0 and signed six MOUs during the IP Week @ SG 2019 conference.

IPOS announced in a press release that Singapore and eight other ASEAN IP offices will prioritise patent applications in fintech, cybersecurity, and robotics, with a pilot project of two years that began 27 August.

Through this initiative, applicants can enjoy a turnaround time of six months for the first office action under the new ASEAN Patent Examination Cooperation Acceleration for Industry 4.0 Infrastructure and Manufacturing (ASPEC-AIM) initiative.

Applicants can also use Patent Cooperation Treaty reports from an ASEAN International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority to speed up applications in another ASEAN country through the PCT-ASPEC initiative. This will run for a pilot of three years from 27 August.

In addition, Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd was granted an AI patent in a record-breaking three months, under IPOS' Accelerated Initiative for Artificial Intelligence.

At the same time, IPOS signed MOUs with the UK Intellectual Property Office supporting the SG-UK Partnership for the Future framework.

They also signed with Brazil's National Institute of Industrial Property for collaborative arrangements and protection and commercialisation of their IA and IP, and Qatar Free Zones Authority for bilateral economic engagements.

IPOS' enterprise and industry engagement arm, IPOS International, inked an agreement with China's IPR daily to develop seminars and training programmes in IP protection, commercialisation and management for Chinese enterprises.

The move comes on the heels of the establishment of IPOS International with the aim to help businesses grow through commercialisation of their IA and IP.

Other agreements included an Implementation Workplan with the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam, and an extension of the Patent Prosecution Highway with China's National IP Administration to August 2021.