FAQ

What is a Trademark?

A Trademark can be any letter, word, name, signature, numeral, device, brand, heading, label, ticket, shape, colour, aspect of packaging or any combinations thereof, used in the course of trade to distinguish one’s goods or services from those of others. A registered trademark gives you the legal right to use, license or sell it within Singapore for the goods and services for which it is registered.

Why register a trademark?

A trademark registration gives you the exclusive right to use that trademark for the specific products and services you’ve registered it for.

It protects you from a competitor copying or using your brand name and passing them off as theirs and causing confusion or harm to your business reputation.

A registered trademark gives you legal grounds to take action to stop someone else using the same or a confusingly similar mark. Protecting your brand names and logos will help you set your brand or business apart from competitors and protect you from copycats.

How Much Does a Trademark Application Cost?

The cost depends on how many trademarks you want to register and in how many classes.

Our charges for a filing a trademark application in Singapore is a fixed fee of S$450, per mark, per class, which includes the filing fee till issuance of the registration certificate, without any hidden charges. The breakdown of the charges is as follows: –

Official Fee – S$280

Service Fee – S$170

Total – S$450

Please drop us an email to find out the exact cost for your trademark registration.

When should I register my trademark?

Register your trademark at the earliest opportunity. This is because if another similar or identical trademark is filed earlier than yours, your trademark application may face an objection.

Can other people use my trademark once I’ve registered it?

Once your trademark is registered ONLY you have the rights to use it. Being a registered proprietor of a trademark means you have the exclusive right over your trademark.  If you wish you can stop any unauthorized use of your trademark by any third party.

We would be glad to assist you if you have any further queries.

How long does it take to register a trademark and what are the steps?

For applications that did not face any objection, the total processing time from the filing date to registration of the mark is about twelve months.

The process of the trademark registration in Singapore is as follows: –

No.	Stages	Description
1	Filing of the Trademark Application	Upon receipt of the payment, the trademark application will be filed with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore within two to three days.
2	Formalities Check	The Registry of Trademarks will conduct formalities check upon receipt of the application and applicable fees. This entails checking that the application meets minimum filing requirements, such as ensuring that the goods or services claimed are indicated in the application form. When the minimum filing requirements are met, a filing date will be allocated to the application. Otherwise, a deficiency letter will be issued to request for the applicant to remedy the deficiencies. The application will be deemed never to have been made if the applicant does not remedy the deficiencies within the deadline given.
3	Search	After the application has passed the formalities check stage, Trademark Examiners in the Registry of Trademarks will conduct a search to check if the mark applied for is identical or similar to any trade mark which is already registered or has already been applied for by someone else for the same or similar goods or services. In addition, the specification of goods or services will be checked to ensure that it conforms to the International Classification of Goods and Services. A wrong classification will result in an objection to the application.
4	Examination	After the searches have been conducted, the application will be examined to determine whether the mark is registrable in accordance with the law. The examiner will check to ensure that the mark does not fall into the areas not allowed by law (e.g. marks that are devoid of any distinctive character). If the examiner has any objection to the mark, he will inform the applicant of the objection(s) and grant the applicant a specified period of time to respond to the objection. The applicant may also request for an “extension of time” to extend the deadline.
5	Publication	If there is no objection to the application or if all of the objections have been overcome, the applicant will be informed of the acceptance of the application. The application will be published in the Trademarks Journal for a period of two months. During the two-month period, any interested party may oppose the registration of a trademark.
6	Opposition	Opposition is the process whereby an interested third-party objects to the grant of a trade mark registration. A notice of opposition should be accompanied by valid grounds under the trademark laws in Singapore, such as the opposed mark being similar to an earlier registered or pending mark. A Registrar of the Hearings and Mediation Department will hear the case based on the information and evidence presented by both parties and present the grounds of decision.
7	Registration	If there is no opposition to the registration of a trademark, or if the opposition is resolved in favour of the applicant, the trademark will be registered and a registration certificate will be issued.

How long does the trademark registration last?

A registered trademark is protected for a period of 10 years from the date of filing. A Singapore-registered trademark can be renewed once every 10 years.

What is the difference between TM and (R) symbol?

There are two different types of markings that denote trademark status: (R) and TM.

The (R) indicates that a trademark has been registered, and the TM means that the user is claiming rights to the brand without registering the mark. 

You can only use the (R) symbol after your trademark application has been successfully registered.

Please note that it is a criminal offence to falsely represent a trademark as registered (e.g., using (R) on an unregistered trade mark).

Can I get a refund?

We submit trademark applications to the Trademark Registry as soon as we have confirmed we have all the required information to submit a valid application, usually, within one business day.

If you change your mind and cancel your order before the trademark application has been submitted to the Registry, we will refund you the fees paid minus $50 to cover administrative costs.

However, once your trademark application has been submitted to the Registry, it is not possible to get a refund because the Official Fee would have been paid to the Registry.