China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) on May 18 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on trademark cooperation, said IPOS in a news release.

The MOU will see Singapore and China enhancing exchanges on trademark registration, examination practices, protection and enforcement.

The agreement includes exchange information and best practices related to trademark registration and protection; developing capacity-building activities such as training on trademark examination and dispute resolution proceedings and facilitating exchanges of IP officials and experts etc.

“The MOU will further strengthen the cooperation and coordination between China and Singapore to provide more support to trademark owners growing and protecting their trademark portfolios both in China and Singapore,” Vice Minister of SAIC Liu Yuting said.

IPOS CEO Tan Yih San also noted that this MOU strengthens the linkages between the two countries’ trademark and brands, which facilitates Chinese companies’ effort to expand their operations in Singapore and the larger ASEAN region. The MOU also welcome Singapore companies and multinational corporations based in Singapore to have greater access to the China market with their trademarks and brands.