The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has announced that new acceleration programmes for examination of patents and trade marks will be launched on 20 May 2025. Dubbed “SG Patents Fast” and “SG Trade Marks Fast”, these acceleration programmes will replace the SG IP FAST pilot programme, which ended on 31 December 2024.
Under these acceleration programmes, IPOS pledges to provide faster office actions in respect of certain patent and trade mark applications under simplified eligibility criteria, with a view to benefiting patent and trade mark applicants. An acceleration fee will be payable to IPOS to help cover the costs incurred in prioritising these applications.
SG Patents Fast
For a patent application to qualify for acceleration under SG Patents Fast:
- the patent application must not be a divisional application in Singapore;
- the acceleration request must contain 20 claims or fewer; and
- the acceleration request must be made, and the relevant acceleration fee paid, together with a Request for Substantive Examination.
The applicant may choose the pace of acceleration, and if acceleration is to be conducted over the full or partial course of prosecution of the patent application. The timeline and cost of the acceleration tracks are tabulated below.
| SG Patents Fast 4 | SG Patents Fast 8 | |
| Receive first office action within: | 4 months | 8 months |
| Acceleration fee (Search and Examination request) | S$1,800 | S$900 |
| Acceleration fee (Examination request) | S$1,200 | S$600 |
| Subsequent office action within: | 4 months | |
| Acceleration fee (Response to Written Opinion) | S$150 | |
Note: Acceleration fees are levied in addition to official fees for search and examination
A monthly cap of five acceleration requests will apply for each applicant (individual or corporate). However, this cap will not apply to acceleration requests in respect of subsequent office actions.
In contrast to SG IP FAST, which only applies to first filed Singapore patent applications, it appears that acceleration under SG Patents Fast may also be requested for patent applications first filed outside Singapore and International applications entering the national phase in Singapore.
SG Trade Marks Fast
For a trade mark application to qualify for acceleration under SG Trade Marks Fast:
- the application must be a national trade mark application, not a designation of an International Registration;
- the application must not be for a certificate or collective mark; and
- the acceleration request must be made, and the relevant acceleration fee paid, at the time of filing the national trade mark application.
The applicant can expect to receive a first examination report (or publication notice, as applicable) within three to six weeks from the date of filing the national trade mark application, as set out in the table below.
| Trade mark application | For classes that fully adopt pre-approved descriptions of goods and services from IPOS’ Classification Database | For classes that partially or do not adopt pre-approved descriptions of goods and services from IPOS’ Classification Database |
| Receive first communication within: | Three to six weeks | |
| Acceleration fee | S$200 per class | S$250 per class |
Note: Acceleration fees are levied in addition to the standard filing fees
For a national trade mark application designating multiple classes, the acceleration request will be automatically applied to all classes.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions relating to IPOS’ acceleration programmes.