Renewed cooperation between the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIPO)
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the extension by five years of cooperation between the IP offices of Singapore and Hungary - concerning patent granting procedures - was concluded in Singapore on 27 August 2014. The MoU was signed by Mr Tan Yih San, Chief Executive of the IPOS, and by Dr. Miklós Bendzsel, President of the HIPO. After the signing of the MoU Mr Tan Yih San expressed his appreciation on the performance and quality work of the HIPO, and he also mentioned the creativity of the Hungarian inventors acknowledged worldwide. The President of the HIPO emphasized the dynamic development of Singapore, and underlined that the HIPO supports the efforts of Singapore in respect of Singapore's role as international examination authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
The HIPO has been taking part in the substantive examination of patent applications filed at the IPOS since 2006 within the framework of international cooperation between the two offices. The participation in this work became a direct cooperation in 2009, when Dr. Miklós Bendzsel, President of the HIPO signed a cooperation agreement with the IPOS for five years in Singapore.
As a result, since 2009, the IPOS has been utilizing the participation of the HIPO in patent granting procedures related to new patent applications for inventions requesting protection, for example last year in 1500 cases. The figures show that each year the HIPO examines about 15-20% of the applications filed at IPOS. Therefore we actively take part in the granting procedures of the protections valid for the territory of the dynamically developing city state. In the procedures, carried out in English, of the examination of solutions of today's technical-scientific world, especially in the field of biotechnology, electronics and IT, the HIPO has proved for a long time that the knowledge and expertise of the patent examiners of the HIPO meet the highest international requirements.
The visit of the President of the HIPO to Singapore was simultaneous with the regional conference on industrial property "IP Week@SG 2014" held on 26 and 27 August 2014, which was attended by the Hungarian delegation. The conference with nearly 1200 participants is one of the most important events of Asia, where the regional and global stakeholders acting in the field of intellectual property share their experiences with each other in the continuously changing market environment. At the margins of the conference a working level meeting of the countries participating in the Plurilateral Patent Prosecution Highway agreement, which is a way to accelerate patent granting procedures, was also held. The HIPO participates in the global PPH system, so it was represented in the meeting as well. On the basis of the patents granted in Hungary, under the global PPH system, protection may be obtained in an accelerated procedure for the territories of the USA, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Canada, Australia and several European countries.