Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution
Different Ways of Resolving IP Disputes
IP disputes may be encountered in the course of managing your IP portfolio or doing business. The main routes of resolving IP disputes are litigation, arbitration, mediation and negotiation.
Why Resolve IP Disputes in Singapore
In addition to the advantages for dispute resolution in general, Singapore also has several compelling advantages for resolving intellectual property disputes.
- IP Specialists
- The High Court has a specialised list of judges who hear IP and IT cases.
- The Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) has specialist international judges to hear IP and technology cases.
- The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) maintains a specialist Panel of Arbitrators for IP disputes.
- Arbitrability of IP Disputes
- In 2019, the International Arbitration Act and Arbitration Act were amended to clarify that IP disputes are arbitrable in Singapore
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center
- Singapore is home to the only office of WIPO’s Arbitration and Mediation Center outside of Geneva.
- Availability of IP Insurance
- IP insurance is available for legal fees and costs awarded against you relating to IP infringement proceedings and disputes between licensor and licensee
- Strong Ecosystem
- Singapore is home to a strong ecosystem of dispute resolution practices which are experienced in IP, as well as a network of technical experts in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields who can be called upon as expert witnesses.
- Publicly Available Information on Registrable IP Rights
- For disputes on IP rights that are registrable with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), all publicly information relating to the IP rights may be accessed on IP²SG, the e-services portal maintained by IPOS. Through this portal, anyone may conduct searches on the various Registers (e.g. to ascertain whether a competitor’s trade mark is registered or patent is granted).