Publication
Government Investigations in Singapore 2025
We have contributed the Singapore chapter of Getting the Deal Through, Government Investigations 2025.
Global | Publication | August 2020
Computer technologies are developing at a rapid pace and impacting on all sectors of the global economy. Inherent in this epochal shift towards and beyond the Information Age is a need for inventors of information technology to protect their computer-implemented inventions (CIIs). In this global comparative piece, we examine the current state of the law on the patentability of CIIs across a number of key jurisdictions, consider its impact on the protection and innovation of CIIs and provide some practical suggestions for future patent applicants in this space.
The viability of CII patents around the world is affected by legislation, official guidelines and patent office practice, and of course, case law. None of the jurisdictions we cover in this piece have a blanket prohibition against the patentability of CIIs. As long as a CII meets the relevant threshold or criteria for patent protection, it will be considered patentable subject matter. The process for examining and assessing patentability varies between jurisdictions, and sometimes within a jurisdiction over time and on a case-by-case basis.
One key theme seems to have currency in all jurisdictions we examine: mere business methods, economic practices, abstract ideas and scientific theorems are largely considered non-patentable subject matter. This extends to general purpose computer programs per se that implement such abstract creations devoid of any technical character.
Conversely, most jurisdictions consider CIIs that concern a technical contribution to be potentially patentable. What this entails varies between jurisdictions, but in essence will involve CIIs that:
Although there is still legal uncertainty in this area, the increasing number of decisions and directions from patent offices and courts worldwide relating to CIIs provide useful guidance to patent applicants and practitioners alike and disclose a gradual trend towards acceptance of CII patents. For now, CII patent applicants are encouraged to ensure precision in the drafting of their claims and specifications, which should include sufficient detail as to the technical solutions and computer-specific functions used to carry out the invention. Meanwhile, those seeking to navigate freedom to operate issues will need to have regard to an increased potential for CII patents making their way through the patent validity gauntlet.
Publication
We have contributed the Singapore chapter of Getting the Deal Through, Government Investigations 2025.
Publication
The private credit market and direct lending have grown and diversified immensely in the past decade, offering alternative sources and terms of debt compared to those historically provided by the syndicated leveraged loan and public issuance markets. Consequently, they are fast becoming pivotal components in the capital ecosystem, so much so that the Bank of England consider that the private credit market is currently responsible for approximately $1.8 trillion of debt issuance, which is four times its size in 2015. This growth has been particularly pronounced in Europe and the US but there has also been significant activity in Asia.
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The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Regulation, commonly referred to as the AI Act, is expected to come into force during the summer of 2024 (the AI Act). The AI Act will be the first comprehensive legal framework for the use and development of artificial intelligence (AI), and is intended to ensure that AI systems developed and used in the EU are safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly.
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