What are Patents?
A patent is a statutory right that confers exclusive rights to use and commercialize an invention in territories where the patent is registered.
Technology companies register patents to exclude their competitors from using their technology and/or to build revenue streams that are based on licensing their patented technology. Patents are therefore often highly valuable assets which can give companies a competitive edge.
How We Can Assist You
As experienced IP practitioners, we are committed to helping you understand your patent rights and can assist you in building a commercially valuable patent portfolio as part of a broader IP strategy.
The following are some of the more sought-after services that we provide to our clients in relation to patents:-
Filing Provisional Singapore Patent Applications
We assist clients with the filing of Singapore provisional patent applications. A provisional patent application is like planting your flag to inform the world at large that an invention has at least been conceived as of the filing date of the provisional patent application. Provisional patent applications can be helpful when it comes to having to disclose your invention to a third-party. While confidentiality agreements may be put in place, if your innovation is in a highly competitive and lucrative technology space, confidentiality agreements can just as easily be breached. Nothing secures any potential patent rights that you may have against your competitors like a provisional patent application.
Also, since Singapore has adopted a “first-to-file" patent registration system, filing a provisional patent application is one way to get ahead of the competition in a highly competitive technology space. The added advantage of a provisional patent application is that it is a low-cost measure that can carried out quickly when time is of the essence.
Patentability and Freedom to Operate Searches
For an invention to be patentable in Singapore, it must be:-
- novel,
- involve an inventive step, and
- capable of industrial application.
We assist clients by carrying out patentability searches followed by an evaluation of the search results to ascertain if your invention meets the above criteria.
Businesses who intend to launch a new product or process on the market will find it a prudent risk management strategy to procure a Freedom to Operate (FTO) search. An FTO search involves searching patent databases, and analyzing any relevant search results to ascertain whether there are any patents that may pose a roadblock to the successful commercialization of a product in a given jurisdiction. An effective FTO search typically forms part of a sound business strategy.
Enforcement
Our lawyers have extensive experience in the enforcement of patent rights, including conducting and managing major patent litigation, including multi-jurisdictional ones, which are taking place increasingly. Our experience includes enforcing patents in a wide variety of technologies including marine, telecommunications, IT, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, electronics, construction and semiconductors.
