Intellectual Property (IP) is anything that is produced by your mind. It can be an invention, design or an original idea. As a country that encourages innovations, Singapore has laws that protect such IPs.

Patents

“A Patent is a monopoly right given by the Government to the owner of an invention to enable him to prevent others from using, copying or making the invention without his consent in the country in which he has obtained patent protection.” (Intellectual Property Office of Singapore or IPOS)

It is not mandatory to apply for patent protection in Singapore before seeking patent protection overseas. However, a Singapore resident must have a written permission from the Registrar of Patents for his invention before he or she files outside Singapore for a patent of that same invention.

Trade Marks

“A Trade Mark is a sign used by a person in the course of business or trade to distinguish his goods or services from those of other traders. Registering a trade mark gives the owner rights to enable him to control the use of the sign.” (IPOS)

It is important for a registered trade mark has to be represented graphically – i.e any letter, word, name, signature, numeral, brand, shape, colour, etc. Trade marks are commonly associated with the symbols ® and ™.   If you see ®, it means that the mark is a registered trade mark and thus it is protected under the trade mark law. The symbol ™ is just a symbol used to indicate that the mark is being used by the company as a trade mark.

Copyright

“Copyright protects works like novels, computer programs, plays, sheet music and paintings. Generally, the author of a copyright work has the right to reproduce, publish, perform, communicate and adapt his work. These different exclusive rights form the bundle of rights that we call copyright. These rights enable a copyright owner to control the commercial exploitation of his work.” (IPOS)

Since copyright is a form of property, it can be transferred or licensed. For a certain work to be protected, it must be:

1. original, and
2. in a tangible form.

The works protected by copyright are:  literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. Other subject matter like films, sound recordings, broadcasts, cable programmes and published works are also protected by copy right.

“Copyright protects the expression of ideas, (e.g. in words and illustrations.) Ideas alone are not protected.” (IPOS)