Search
Singapore honours namesake Treaty

Singapore honours namesake Treaty

On 27 March, Singapore became the first country to ratify a World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) trademark treaty that, last year, was named in the nation’s honour. Adopted by WIPO on 27 March 2006, the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks was so named because the final round of negotiations took place there.

Dealing with the procedural aspects of trademark registration under WIPO, the Treaty seeks to eliminate red tape in the application process and help the marks authorities of Member States to seize advantage of electronic communication methods, in order to expedite logistics. This will greatly enhance the ability of firms with small or large trademark portfolios to market their brand identities overseas.

Also promised are a more efficient framework for brand rights enforcement, and a level playing field for brand investors. Full ratification by all 50 of the Member States that signed up to it in principle last year will complete the process of updating the 1994 Trademark Law Treaty (TLT), in order to reflect technological developments that have occurred over the last decade.

Director general, Dr Kamil Idris, said: ‘The fact that Singapore is the first country to ratify this important treaty on trademarks is a further sign of its commitment to strategic use of the intellectual property system for business development and wealth creation.

‘Successful brands, underpinned by trademark protection, are a key to a company’s sustained financial viability and a signal to consumers of its ability to deliver on a promise. For trademark owners, standardized registration procedures are critical as this helps to contain transaction costs by increasing the efficiency of trademark services.’

Add to RSS: add to rss

Add this page to:

User Comments

Post a comment