Before any public disclosure — or at worst within 12 months of it. Singapore does allow a grace period: under section 8A of the Registered Designs Act 2000 (2020 Revised Edition), a disclosure made on or after 30 October 2017 will not destroy novelty if you file within 12 months of that disclosure. So an accidental or early show-and-tell does not automatically sink your application.
That said, the safe and strategic rule is still file before you disclose. Three reasons:
- The grace period is a safety net, not a plan. You must actually file within 12 months, and you cannot claim the benefit if someone else files the same design first in that window.
- Before launch — file at minimum before the product hits the market or a trade show, so your priority date is locked from day one.
- Before crowd-funding or press — images in a campaign count as disclosure and start the 12-month clock.
- As early as the design is fixed — you do not need a finished product, just a clear representation.
Planning to protect the design overseas? File before you disclose. Singapore’s 12-month grace period is not matched everywhere — and design rights are territorial, so protection in each country stands or falls on its own rules. Major markets such as China have no grace period for designs at all: any public disclosure before filing can destroy novelty there, permanently barring you from registering the same design. If export or overseas filing is even a possibility, treat the rule as file before any public disclosure.
You can also request deferment of publication (Form D3, S$40 per request) to keep the design confidential for a period while you prepare a launch. The point is to lock in the filing date early; everything else can follow.
Fee figures are official IPOS amounts current as at 30 October 2025 and exclude any professional/agent fees. IPOS fee schedules change; always confirm the live figure before filing.
For enforceable, exclusive protection of your product’s appearance, registration — not copyright — is the route to take.
