Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks

General Information

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What is it about?

The objective of the Singapore Treaty is to harmonize the administrative procedures used by national and regional trademark registers and address a certain number of issues and technical developments which were not taken into account by the Trademark Law Treaty of 1994. Building on the Trademark Law Treaty, the Singapore Treaty has a wider scope of application and addresses new developments in the field of communication technology. The Singapore Treaty is applicable to all types of marks that can be registered under the law of a given contracting party (including non-traditional visible marks, such as holograms, three-dimensional marks, colour, position and movement marks, and also non-visible marks, such as sound, olfactory or taste and feel marks); contracting parties are free to choose the means of communication with their offices (including communications in electronic form or by electronic means of transmittal); relief measures in respect of time limits as well as provisions on the recording of trademark licenses are introduced; and an Assembly of the contracting parties is established with powers to modify the Treaty’s Regulations. Where necessary, the Assembly can also deal, at a preliminary level, with questions relating to the future development of the Treaty. Other provisions of the Singapore Treaty (such as the requirements to provide for multi-class applications and registrations, and the use of the Nice Agreement’s International Classification) closely follow the 1994 Trademark Law Treaty.

Why is it relevant?

The implementation of simplified and uniform procedures by national and regional trademark registers reduces the costs that companies might incur in the registration of their trademarks and the risks of error. Special provisions provide developing and least developed countries (LDCs) with additional technical assistance and technological support to enable them to take full advantage of the provisions of the Treaty. LDCs shall be the primary and main beneficiaries of technical assistance by contracting parties of WIPO. The Assembly of the contracting parties is charged with the task of monitoring and evaluating the progress of the assistance granted.

Additional Information

All WIPO member States that possess a national registration office may become a party to the present treaty. Under certain circumstances, intergovernmental organizations may also adhere. The Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks and the Trademark Law Treaty are separate, and may be ratified or adhered to independently.

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