Following on from our previous article on patent updates in Vietnam, this piece serves to summarise the key amendments made to both patent and trademark procedures by the NOIP commencing January 2018. New regulations with regard to patent and trademark procedures in Vietnam came into force on 15th January 2018. These amended regulations aim to […]
Singapore and China PPH Extension Keeps Up Accelerated and Dynamic Patent Procedure
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) have extended their joint effort for fast and efficient patent protection through the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program. The extension agreement was signed on September 17, 2017 and will be effective until August 31, 2019. Mr. Daren Tang, Chief Executive […]
New Indonesian Customs Regulation for Protection of IP Rights
The Indonesian Government has recently implemented legislation to assist IP owners to enforce their copyrights and trademarks. The Regulation (No. 20 of 2017) came into force on August 2, 2017. The new Regulation provides that IP owners with rights registered in Indonesia may apply for customs recordal to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise […]
Brunei’s Patent Examination System to Increase Efficiency Through Agreement with Japan
On August 28, 2017, the Brunei Intellectual Property Office (BruIPO) signed an agreement to introduce a new patent examination initiative – the Patent Prosecution Highway Plus (PPH+) – with the Japan Patent Office (JPO), which will commence on October 1, 2017. Using this PPH+ system, patent prosecution procedures in Brunei are accelerated by allowing BruIPO […]
Myanmar Presents New Trademark Bill
Myanmar has yet to produce its own specific legislation on trademarks. As a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the nation is expected to deliver its IP laws in the near future to provide protection for trademarks, copyright, patents, and other intellectual property. From August 8-10, 2017, […]
Accelerated Examination in Philippines Through PPH Partnership with EPO
In recent years, the European Patent Office (EPO) has partnered with several domestic patent offices in Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programmes, with the aim of speeding up examination processes for corresponding applications filed in participating intellectual property offices. Recently, the EPO has launched new a PPH pilot programme with the patent office of the Philippines […]
Thailand Patent Registry Set to Enforce Modified Examination Regime for Greater Efficiency
Throughout 2017 so far, the government in Thailand has been signalling its intention to revamp the country’s patent system to provide a more efficient standard of service to applicants and inventors. In February, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O Cha pledged to urgently deal with a problem: around 20,000 domestic and international patent applications made to the […]
Revised Trademark Rules in India
The Government of India announced broad changes to the Trademark Rules on 6 March 2017. The changes came into effect immediately. The relevant changes to the Rules are: 1. Increase in Official Fees 2. Registration of Well-Known Marks A trademark owner can now seek to have his mark to be declared “well-known” in India […]
Cambodia Becomes First Asian EPO Validation State
On January 23rd 2017 in Phnom Penh, an agreement was signed between Cambodian Senior Minister for Industry Cham Prasidh and Benoit Batistelli, President of the European Patent Office, stipulating that patents registered with the European Patent Office (EPO) will be valid in Cambodia, with a date of 1st July 2017 set as the projected entry […]
Singapore : Trademark Citations based on Withdrawn, Cancelled or Abandoned Applications
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has recently changed its practice with respect to marks which are “treated as withdrawn” or “abandoned”. Earlier, the Registry practice included citing marks which were reflected on the Register as “Treated as Withdrawn”. Therefore, deemed withdrawn applications were also cited against other pending marks. With respect to abandoned […]