Associate Trade Mark Examiners

Roles & Responsibilities

Great ideas do not discriminate, and anyone can have them. Given the right protection and support, a great idea can become a power brand, a transformative technology, an innovative process or design, or even a song or story that moves one’s soul.

Housing Singapore’s largest community of intellectual property (IP) experts, IPOS understands better than anyone how important it is to protect ideas and creations for now and the future. We leverage on our deep technical, legal and business expertise to help innovative enterprises grow, through their intangible assets, including IP, from Singapore, through Singapore. We catalyse the ideas today, into assets tomorrow.

A trade mark can be any letter, word, name, shape, colour, aspect of packaging or a combination of these elements. Even sounds or smells may qualify as trademarks. Trade marks play a very important role in the marketing and branding of businesses. Just think about the stylized "bird" that is on the tailfin of every SIA plane, or the "key" that is on the cover of every POSB passbook. We are currently looking to recruit associate trade mark examiners. As an examiner, you will work with other colleagues in the Registry of Trade Marks to review trade mark applications to ensure that they meet the legal requirements for registration. You may also be involved in the formulation and implementation of national policies relating to the registration of trade marks, contributing to Singapore’s status as a global hub for intellectual assets and intellectual property.

Key Job Responsibilities

Examining a trade mark application requires a combination of sound thinking, good analytical skills and some understanding of, or interest in, how businesses brand, market and identify themselves. You will:

• Decide if a potential trade mark distinctly identifies the trade origin of the relevant goods/services applied for;
• Conduct a search for conflicting trade marks that are already pre-existing on the national trade mark register; and
• Review the description of goods/services on which the trade mark will be used, against international standards of classifying such goods/services.

Trade mark examiners are expected to communicate with applicants or their legal representatives on the outcome of the examination. It includes the raising objections to the application, and considering the responses from applicants to these objections, where the need arises. Trade mark examiners also have to provide assistance to members of the public who have queries on trade mark related matters.

Apart from the examination of trade mark applications, a trade mark examiner will also be asked to take on administrative roles and responsibilities which are necessary for the proper functioning of the Registry of Trade Marks and to meet the larger organisational goals of IPOS.

Lastly, as you develop in seniority and deepen your expertise as a trade mark examiner, your professional role will expand to include supervision, mentoring and coaching responsibilities.

Write to us if you have/are:

• A university degree (from any background);
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Demonstrate sound research, analytical, comprehension and decision-making skills;
• Detailed and customer-oriented;
• Interested in, or have some understanding of, how businesses brand, market and identify themselves;
• A team player and an individual contributor responsible for individual output targets and deadlines;
• Able to multi-task and manage projects concurrently from time to time;
• Self-motivated, driven to excel and enthusiastically embrace new challenges and opportunities; and
• Committed to professional and personal self-development

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