IPOS launching new Patents and Trade Marks Acceleration Programmes on 20 May 2025

9 May 2025

On 20 May 2025, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (“IPOS”) will launch the new SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast programmes to help applicants receive office actions more quickly.

The new programmes supersede the SG IP FAST pilot programme which concluded on 31 December 2024. The new programmes are in addition to other acceleration programmes for patents, such as the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), Global PPH (GPPH), ASEAN Patent Examination Cooperation (ASPEC), and Collaborative Search and Examination (CS&E).

SG Patents Fast

Under the SG Patents Fast programme, applicants can choose the pace of acceleration as follows:

• SG Patents Fast 4: Receive first office action within four months of successful application
• SG Patents Fast 8: Receive first office action within eight months of successful application

Qualifying criteria and application process:

• The patent application is not a divisional application in Singapore
• The patent specification contains 20 or fewer claims
• A monthly cap of five requests per entity (individual or corporate) is applicable. This cap does not apply to requests to accelerate subsequent office actions
• Successful applications qualify for acceleration of subsequent office actions after filing a Response to Written Opinion (Patents Form 13A)
• An acceleration request must be made with a Request for a Search and Examination Report (Patents Form 11) or with a Request for an Examination Report (Patents Form 12), with payment of an acceleration fee in addition to the existing examination fee

SG Trade Marks Fast

Under the SG Trade Marks Fast programme, enterprises will find it simpler to accelerate their trade mark applications and receive the first examination report (or notice that the application has been published for opposition purposes, as applicable) within three to six weeks from the date of the application. Applicants will not require (i) a related patent application or (ii) full adoption of pre-approved descriptions of goods and services from IPOS’ Classification Database.

Qualifying criteria and application process:

• The application is a national trade mark application, and not for a certification or collective mark
• The acceleration request must be made at the point of filing Form TM4 with the payment of the acceleration fee

The acceleration request will automatically apply to all classes in trade mark applications with multiple classes. Like the SG Patents Fast programme, acceleration fees will apply. 

Government schemes to support IP registration costs

The Enterprise Innovation Scheme allows businesses conducting trade or business activities to claim enhanced tax deduction on qualifying IP registration costs. Another option is for eligible businesses to convert qualifying expenditures into a cash payout to offset their innovation costs.

A scheme which eligible businesses may tap on is the Enterprise Development Grant which funds qualifying project costs including third-party consultancy fees, software and equipment, internal manpower cost, and other critical costs such as IP registration and acceleration fees.

Patents Circular No. 1 of 2025 and Trade Marks Circular No. 2 of 2025, both dated 7 May 2025, provide more details on the SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast programmes.

Reference materials

The following materials can be found on the IPOS website www.ipos.gov.sg:

• Patents Circular No. 1 of 2025 (Registry of Patents)
• Trade Marks Circular No. 2 of 2025 (Registry of Trade Marks)