Intellectual Property Protection

Singapore Handles Its Growing Knowledge Economy Through Astringent Intellectual Property Protection

Measures toward intellectual property protection can be perceived as an unreasonable cost rather than a protection of the business asset. This mindset may most likely transpire to local industries whose intellectual property (IP) regime is not fully established yet, such as in the city of Singapore.

Enforcement of IP law is costly. It takes comprehensive surveillance strategies especially since technology makes it harder to track those who are involved in IP infringement. Moreover, it requires practical and effective plans on how to implement such surveillance schemes without impeding efficiency on the part of both business communities and consumers.

Intellectual Property Protection: Should It Be A Sole Responsibility Of The Law Enforcing Body?

Presented with these complicated challenges involved in promoting intellectual property protection, it seems that Singapore’s national Legislative body needs to be in the forefront of this drive against IP infringement.

The United States of America indeed believes that it is the sole responsibility of the law enforcing body to track IP violators. However, in Singapore the role for IPR enforcement is a shared responsibility between the patentee and the authorities. It may incur additional costs on the patentee’s part, but this strategy seems to work for Singapore.

The Approach That Serves Effective For Intellectual Property Protection In Singapore

This co-operative system designed for intellectual property protection helps law enforcers to focus on big-time organized syndicates while the patentees are given the chance to conduct their own investigations. The latter yields positive results especially in cases where the IPR owners are deemed fit to perform this role.

Patent holders can pursue those people that are suspected of conducting infringing activities by filing either civil or criminal complaints. Patentees can obtain a search warrant and help the police locate the premises where infringing activities are held. Moreover, IPR owners can initiate legal proceedings against the offenders through the merit of fiats issued by the Attorney-General’s Chamber.

The Critical Role Of International Tie Ups In Promoting Intellectual Property Rights

But of course tie ups with the promoters of International IP protection are integral for economies that are serious in safeguarding their intellectual assets and those that generate income out of it. Singapore thus takes part in the USSFTA (US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement) as a way of ensuring that it holds a greater advantage in boosting its growing knowledge economy.