Singapore bags IP search and examine authority

SINGAPORE'S quest to become the intellectual property (IP) hub of Asia received a major boost when the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) accorded the country an important role in the international patent search and examination process.

Under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the recent 54th WIPO Assemblies appointed the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA). The appointment is to become effective from early 2015.

IPOS, working together with the Singapore Permanent Mission in Geneva, was successful in its bid to become the first IP Office appointed out of the Asean region. It's also the fifth in Asia after China, India, Japan and South Korea.