Japan-Singapore EPA. Chapter 10 provides for: (i) facilitation of patent process in Singapore; (ii) sharing of the governments’ databases on intellectual property; (iii) establishment of the Joint Committee on IP; and (iv) cooperation in the field of IP. With respect to (i) above, it was provided that Singapore designates the Japan Patent Office as a “prescribed patent office,” as stipulated in the Patents Act of Singapore (Article 98 of the EPA, and Article 11 of the Implementing Agreement). Accordingly, the examination result of a patent application in Japan that corresponds to a patent application in Singapore can be filed with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, and the Singapore patent will be granted without filing any examination request in Singapore.
Japan-Singapore EPA. The first EPA Japan entered into was with Singapore. At the Japan-Singapore Summit Meeting held in October 2000, it was agreed to commence the negotiation for such agreement, and negotiations between the governments commenced in January 2001. The EPA was signed and came into effect in 2002. Chapter 10 thereof provides for: i) facilitation of patent process in Singapore, ii) sharing of the governments’ databases on intellectual property, and iii) establishment of the Joint Committee on IP. In addition, the EPA requires the cooperation of the two countries in the field of intellectual property. With respect to i) above, it was provided that Singapore designates the Japan Patent Office as a “prescribed patent office,” as stipulated in the Patents Act of Singapore (Article 98 of the EPA, and Article 11 of the Implementing Agreement). Accordingly, the examination result of a patent application in Japan that corresponds to a patent application in Singapore can be filed with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, and the Singapore patent will be granted without filing any examination request in Singapore.
