IPOS 2026 patent and trade-mark procedure updates

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) announced two procedural updates on 12 August 2026. First, it extended by one year a pilot that lets eligible patent applicants extend the prescribed period for filing certain search-and-examination requests by 18 months at no cost. Second, it said that IPOS will resume accepting new requests under SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast from 1 September 2026. These are registry procedures for applicants and practitioners; they do not change the substantive ownership or validity of every Singapore patent or trade mark (IPOS, Circular No. 4/2026; IPOS, Circular No. 5/2026).

Extension-of-time pilot for patent reports

The extension-of-time pilot concerns the prescribed period for filing requests for search and/or examination reports under section 29 of the Patents Act 1994. IPOS says the August 2024 pilot allowed eligible applicants to extend that period by 18 months without paying a fee. Circular No. 4/2026 extends the pilot for one year: an applicant is eligible when the prescribed period for the relevant request expires between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2027, both dates inclusive. The circular says all other aspects published under the earlier Circular No. 4/2024 remain unchanged, so the extension should not be read as a general suspension of patent deadlines or as an entitlement available to every filing without checking the applicable request and eligibility conditions (IPOS, Circular No. 4/2026).

Resumption of accelerated filing requests

From 1 September 2026, IPOS will resume accepting new requests under SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast. The circular states that applicants may apply for acceleration for patent search-and-examination report requests, patent examination report requests, and trade-mark applications filed on or after that date. The announcement is about the acceptance of new acceleration requests; it does not guarantee that an application will be granted, examined within a particular applicant-chosen period, or approved on the merits. Applicants should use the programme guidance and the applicable IPOS filing requirements when deciding whether a request qualifies (IPOS, Circular No. 5/2026).

How to interpret the updates

The two circulars address different parts of Singapore's intellectual-property administration. The extension-of-time pilot gives qualifying patent applicants additional time, without cost under the pilot, to make specified report requests. SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast are acceleration pathways for eligible requests accepted from the announced resumption date. Neither circular creates a new IP right, removes the need to meet the Patents Act or trade-mark registration requirements, or turns an accelerated process into automatic registration. The IPOS circulars page records both circulars as 2026 registry guidance and directs applicants to the detailed notices for the operative terms (IPOS, Circulars and Practice Directions, updated 14 August 2026).