Intellectual Property of Singapore Launches ‘Patents Open Dossier’

27th September, 2017 - 5:16 am Categories: Intellectual Property Patents 0 Comments

In a bid to continue the growth of Intellectual Property regime in Singapore, the Intellectual Property of Singapore (IPOS) has launched the Patents Open Dossier (POD) on July 24, 2017 [1] [3]. The recently launched POD is an online database, which provides a single point of access for individuals/innovators to access published patent documents.

This POD service have been added to and is available on IP2SG, which is the online e-service portal [2] of IPOS, which enables the public with simple access to a collection of selected published patent documents under Section 27 of the Patent Act and which are not restricted for inspection pursuant to Patents Rule 93(4) and 93(5). These documents comprises of Inventor search reports, the office actions and responses for published patent applications lodged on or after 14 Feb 2014 under the positive grant system, among many others [3].

After the launch of POD, individuals are now able to analyze, view, monitor and manage the patent profiles, which are of interest to them. There are several other advantages of this POD, which are:

• Reduced time and cost for an individual to extract and analyze patent information of their interest;
• Enabled work sharing between different IP offices via a single platform for search and examination results; and
• Enhanced transparency of patent system through easy and increased accessibility of file prosecution histories.

Also, as an administrative concession, the individuals will no longer be needed to furnish any published search and examination results established by IPOS under the positive grant system when they file a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) request in the Office of Second Filing. The effective date for IPOS to be a participating Office under the initiative will be announced on a later date.

As a central agency in providing its Intellectual Property consultations and networking for the current & future growth of Singapore IP regime, the IPOS remains at the forefront of the latest IP developments happening globally. With the launch of POD, IPOS joins the ranks of the IP5 Offices, namely, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), Japan Patent Office (JPO), Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) that have developed a Global Dossier Initiative with the same purpose [1].

Below is the list of documents that are accessible and available for download on the POD platform [4]:

1. Search Report
2. Examination Report
3. Written Opinion
4. Search and Examination Report
5. Written Submission in response to Written Opinion
6. Examination Review Report
7. Amendment and Correction of Specification
8. Amendment and Correction of Abstract
9. Patents Form and Common Forms (With the exception of Form CM10 and

Form CM12 and their related correspondence)

10. Notification relating to the request made on Patents Form and Common Forms

(With the exception of Form CM10 and Form CM12 and their related correspondence)

Documents not available on Patents Open Dossier [4] are as below:

1. Cover Letter
2. Supporting Documents and Statements
3. Statutory Declarations or Affidavit
4. Certificate of grant of patent 

Author: Shilpi Saxena, Jr. Patent Associate at Khurana & Khurana Advocates and IP Attorneys can be reached at shilpi@iiprd.com.