Asia IP

Enterprises will soon benefit from a new intellectual property cooperation signed between Singapore and Japan. The collaboration between Industrial Property Cooperation Center (IPCC), Japan and IPOS International – the expertise and enterprise engagement arm of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore – will allow enterprises to tap on the patent search and analysis expertise of both countries, thus enabling enterprises to better protect and commercialise their IP in support of their business growth and strategies.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today by Takashi Suzuki, President of IPCC, Japan and Daren Tang, Chairman of IPOS International. Under this mutual agreement, IPCC and IPOS International will appoint each other as a branch office in its respective country for patent search and analysis work. Enterprises in both countries will have the enhanced benefit of accessing the patent search and analysis expertise in both Japanese and Chinese languages. IPOS International will lend its suite of patent search and analysis services to Japanese companies through the IPCC and local enterprises in Singapore can tap on IPCC’s services, such as prior art searches in the Japanese language, through IPOS International.

In addition, IPOS International has been actively building its networks. Since inception in August 2019, it has also formalised agreements with other countries, including most recently with China and Russia:

▪ A bilateral partnership with the Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee (SIPAC) to jointly develop initiatives and training programmes to help Chinese companies manage their intangible assets, protect and commercialise their IP overseas. IPOS International will serve as a bridge for these Chinese enterprises to Singapore professional service companies, and link Chinese professional service firms with their Singapore counterparts.

▪ A tripartite partnership with the Russian Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF), a venture capital fund, and Sport & Fashion Management (SFM), a global enterprise for innovative sportswear materials, to collaborate in creating a platform for technology transfer between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Singapore. IPOS International will work with IIDF and SFM to grow and scale the business in Singapore and into the international market.

Combined, China, Japan and Russia together account for about 62 percent of the global patent filing activity in 2018, with patent filings around the world exceeding 3.3 million, a 5.2 percent growth from 2017. The rise in global patent filing underscores the central role of IP in determining success in today’s marketplace. Daren Tang, Chairman of IPOS International, said, “This is an exciting time for the IP community as intangible assets and IP are increasingly driving enterprise growth. To better support this growth, IPOS International will expand its networks and collaborate more closely with partners across the world. Coupled with our deep technical expertise, we hope to bring value to innovative enterprises seeking to scale-up and help anchor Singapore as a base for these companies to expand into the region and beyond.”