Accession to the Singapore Treaty is in keeping with Government’s ongoing efforts to reduce administrative burdens on industry. For the forty one countries that are party to the Treaty, it standardises the documentation necessary for filing trade mark applications and allows for receipt of such documentation in electronic format. It also modernises the system by allowing for the registration of non-visible signs such as sound trade marks.

Skills, Research & Innovation Minister Damien English stated that: “Accession is a signal to the international community that helping industry to avail of inclusive and streamlined procedures is key. It is, important also that Ireland affirms and encourages the development of international standards in the intellectual property area which is crucial to the growth and development of innovation.”

The Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks revises, simplifies and streamlines the administrative procedures in relation to the treatment of trade mark applications. The Treaty builds upon and updates the Trade Mark Law Treaty of 1994 (which Ireland acceded to in July 1999).

The Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks entered into force on the 16th March 2009. There are, at present, 41 contracting parties to the Treaty, including 18 EU Member States. In accordance with the Treaty, Ireland’s accession formally takes effect from 21 December 2015.A small number of amendments were necessary to Irish legislation to facilitate accession. The Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2014 (No. 36 of 2014) came into effect on the 23rd December 2014, and the Trade Marks (Amendment) Rules 2015 (S.I. 533 of 2015) came into effect on the 27th November 2015.

The Trade Marks (Amendment) Rules 2015 (S.I. 533 of 2015) came into effect on the 27th November 2015 and amend Rules 63 and 79 of the Trade Marks Rules 1996 to remove conditions that contravene certain provisions of the Singapore.