How to apply for a trademark in Singapore

If your company sells products in Singapore, you may have wondered how to do international trademark registration. While it may seem like a complicated and complex process, it is actually a standardized process. Most countries in the world follow these standardized rules. If you want to learn more about these rules, read this article!

How to do international trademark registration in Singapore

It’s not exactly rocket science to do it in Singapore. Singapore follows the Madrid System, which is a set of standardized rules and regulations that govern and dictate the international trademark registration process. As with any other nation, the process follows a series of steps.

Step 1: submit the form

Please note that the international trademark registration form is MM2. You can download the Spanish, English and French versions. Please note that you must use this form if you want to qualify for it in Singapore. You must send this form (application) to the office of origin (the trademark registration office in your country). If approved, your application will have a ‘basic mark’ attached. This is essentially a stamp of approval from your home country that your product is legitimate. You can then apply for an international trademark under the Madrid System.

Step 2: have an independent agency review your international trademark application

Please note that this type of agency only checks your application for obvious errors. Sending your application to an agency does not guarantee that your application will be approved by the international trademark office.

Please note that the agency will issue you a notice of irregularity if your application contains obvious errors or does not meet the requirements. The home office in your home country will also receive this notice. You will be informed about inconsistencies and errors in your application, as well as how to remedy them. You will be informed of the time limit you have to make these corrections and the possible consequences of not doing so.

If your application is consistent and correct, the agency will document and publish the ‘national basic mark’ in the International Registry. It will subsequently be published in the WIPO Gazette of International Marks. The agency will also inform the international registry office of this decision. Inform the international registry office of each member named in the application; you will become the official holder of an international registration.

But remember that this DOES NOT MEAN that your application has been officially approved by the international trademark office. It also does not mean that you officially have an active international trademark for your product (s).

Step 3: The offices of all the countries where the members are from on your application will review your application

If you want to qualify for trademark registration in Singapore, and one of the members named in your application is from Singapore, the Singapore trademark registration office will review your application before it is approved. It will also be approved by the offices in the countries where its appointed members are from. You will receive a notice of a decision within 12 months after the completion of the third step.

Benefits of the international trademark registration

If you choose to do international trademark registration in Singapore, you will get the following benefits. But remember that these benefits will apply regardless of the country to whose international trademark office you have filed your international trademark application.

– You will save a lot of money. After all, you only submit one request twice instead of 20+ requests 40+ times.

– If you do international trademark registration in Singapore, you will quickly receive a trademark for your product (s). This means that your products will be protected from the possibility of your competitors trying to copy them.

– If you register a trademark in other countries, your application must normally be approved by the International Office. This is not necessarily the case in Singapore. This means that you will save a lot of time, money and headaches when trying to register your products.

– A registration certificate carries the same weight in terms of rights and protections as a national trademark registration certificate.

– You may have different filing dates (and later), but you will be able to add additional countries and regions on both your international trademark application and certificate.

International trademark registration

– You have to be a real and living person if you want to apply in Singapore.

– You can only submit one request per product. You should also name all the countries where you will be selling your product.

– You can name as many countries as you want in your application. They just have to be members of the Protocol.

– Your application must have the original or an authentic and approved replica of the mark affixed to you by the national office that approved your initial application.

– All the products you want to sell must be listed according to the Nice Classification. It is essentially an international classification of goods and services.

– Your registration will be valid for 10 years from the date of approval. You can extend the validity for another ten years. You will only have to pay the agency that reviewed your initial application additional fees for doing so.

– You must have the application for registration on file with the national trademark registry in Singapore if you want to apply for an international trademark registration in Singapore.

– The Singapore trademark must cover the products / services that you want to sell and that you have named in your application.

– You must live in Singapore, have a business office from home there, or do business in Singapore.

Although the trademark registration process has many steps, it is neither complex nor arduous.