Dial TM for an Ambulance
The deep-seated need for every brand owner to secure exclusive rights to use a trade mark does not discriminate when it comes to the source of the mark or identity of the owner. This is regardless of whether the owner…
Newsletters
Singapore – Supplementary Examination of Patent Applications
Changes to Singapore patents law which came into effect on 14 February 2014 introduced a new procedure called Supplementary Examination (SPE). Under Section 29(1)(d) of the Singapore Patents Act, applicants may rely on the final results of search and examination…
Options for Expediting Patent Prosecution in Malaysia
Intellectual Property (IP) is increasingly becoming a crucial catalyst of business growth in globalised and developing economies such as Malaysia. We have seen a steady growth of patent applications filed in Malaysia in the last decade which is a testament…
A Skirmish of the Suds
On 06 July 2006, a trade mark application was filed for the mark OILUM by Galenium Pharmasia Laborotories, an Indonesian pharmaceutical company and the application was accorded Trade Mark Number 06011831. Subsequent to a smooth search and examination process by…
Persistence pays off for Local IT Security Firm
The date 23 September 2014 would seem to be like just another day on the calendar. However, this date is particularly significant for our valued client, e-Lock Corporation Sdn. Bhd. as it marks the happy conclusion of a long journey…
Changes to Singapore Trade Marks and Registered Designs Law
The legislative amendments to the Trade Marks Rules, Trade Marks (International Registration) Rules, Registered Designs Rules and Registered Designs (International Registration) Rules came into effect on 13 November 2014. A brief summary of the changes are as follows: TRADE MARKCounter-statement…
MyIPO and Japan Patent Office launch PPH Pilot Program
Effective 01 October 2014, the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) have commenced a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program. The program will initially run for a trial period of three years, followed by…
Motherhood Pte Ltd v Lau Elaine and others [2013] SGHC 258
The Plaintiff’s monthly printed “Motherhood Magazine” relating to parenting issues had been published in Singapore since 1983. An application to register the trade mark “Motherhood” was made on 23 May 2012 and was granted on 04 July 2013 on the…
Modified Substantive Examination
The pendency of a Malaysian application normally lasts 3-4 years before it proceeds to grant where much of it is spent waiting for its examination. The pendency period is not shortened even if substantive examination is requested early. With the…
Voluntary Notification of Copyright is Here to Stay
Time has certainly flown by since this writer’s initial article on the topic in August 2012. Fast forward to June 2014, it is now the second anniversary of the voluntary notification system for copyright coming into force in Malaysia. In…
Novartis AG and Another v Ranbaxy (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
In the case of Novartis AG and Another v Ranbaxy (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. [2013] 2 SLR 117, the plaintiff was the proprietor of a Singapore patent and the defendant sought to import a pharmaceutical product which related to the plaintiff’s…
Exceptions to Loss of Novelty for Malaysian Patents
Malaysian patent law has a worldwide novelty standard, qualified by a 12-month grace period. Section 14(3) of the Malaysian Patents Act stipulates that this grace period is available to a patent applicant in respect of disclosures that are by reason…