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Boo hoo to you, no new MOU

By Johanna Gibson, David Pearce, Jeremy Phillips and Ilanah Simon.

The IPKat has discovered, via a circular from Ravindran Associates (Singapore), that the 1995 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between IP Australia and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) will cease to be operative as of 6 December.  Under the MOU, IP Australia acted as a patent examining authority for Singapore's national examination under Singapore law. Thenceforth Singapore search and/or examination services will now only be provided by the Austrian, Danish and Hungarian Patent Offices [is it mere coincidence that these three jurisdictions are known for their pastries, ponders Merpel?].

IP Australia's website provides a little more information -- but not much:

"... The MOU is a commercial arrangement that has been in place since 1995 and which is renegotiated periodically.

IP Australia has decided to discontinue with current MOU arrangements. ...

The decision not to renew the MOU will not impact on other patent services provided by IP Australia to Singapore or our strong engagement with IPOS. IP Australia will continue with its treaty obligations to act as an International Search and Preliminary Examination Authority for international application?s lodged by Singaporean applicants under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. IP Australia and IPOS will also continue to pursue discussions on regional cooperation for the effective processing of patents to benefit innovators in both countries".

The IPOS website has nothing further to add.

Does anyone know what happened to end this idyllic arrangement? Was it just a matter of money, a lack of synergy, a lovers' tiff, perhaps? The IPKat dearly wants to know.

"Moo" and other animal noises here here

Full post as published by IPKat on October 18, 2010 (boomark / email).