Trademark your Shopify brand in Singapore

Information checked as of 13 October 2026

Your store name and logo are what customers search for, remember and recommend. Registering them as a trade mark with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) gives you the right to stop others using a confusingly similar brand for the same kind of goods or services, and it makes takedowns on Shopify and marketplaces much easier. This guide walks through the IPOS process and how to use your registration once you have it.

This is general information, not legal advice. It summarises IPOS, WIPO, Singapore Statutes Online and platform pages as of the date above. For a contested or valuable brand, consider an IP agent or lawyer.

Why register

IPOS's introduction to trade marks says a registered mark lets you use the ® symbol, deter others from using your mark, license it, sell it or use it to raise funds. Registration lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed.

Your ACRA name isn't a trade mark. IPOS says registering a business name with ACRA, or a domain with SGNIC, doesn't equal trade mark protection, and that if you use your business name as a brand you should register it as a trade mark. Lawyers' guides make the same point. See our ACRA guide for the business side.

Step 1: Search first

Before you file, and ideally before you print packaging, search for existing marks. IPOS's Digital Hub is where you search, file and manage trade marks, and IPOS's registration guide suggests checking for similar marks first. Look for marks that look or sound alike, in the classes you'll use. Also check marketplaces and social handles, since an unregistered business using the name can still cause trouble.

Step 2: Choose your classes

Trade marks are registered for specific goods and services, grouped into the 45 classes of the Nice Classification, which Singapore uses. A Shopify brand might need, for example, the class for its products (such as clothing or cosmetics) and possibly class 35 for retail services. IPOS's forms and fees page encourages you to pick descriptions from its Classification Database of pre-approved items: it charges a lower fee per class for them and says they help avoid objections. Fees are per class, so check the page for current amounts.

Step 3: File through IPOS Digital Hub

You file Form TM4 online through the IPOS Digital Hub; IPOS also lists its IPOS Go app. Companies log in with Corppass and need the Digital Hub e-service enabled. IPOS offers SG Trade Marks Fast, which speeds up the first examination for an extra fee per class, requested only when you file.

Step 4: Examination, publication and opposition

IPOS's registration guide and a law firm's IP guide describe the same stages:

1. Examination. IPOS checks the application. If there are problems, you get an examination report and have 4 months to respond, extendable.
2. Publication. An accepted mark is published in the Trade Marks Journal for 2 months, during which anyone can oppose.
3. Opposition. If someone opposes, the application is suspended until the case is decided.
4. Registration. With no objection or opposition, IPOS says registration may take about 9 months.

® and ™

• ™ can be used any time. IPOS says it tells others you're using the name or logo as a trade mark, but the mark may not be registered.
• ® can be used only after your mark's status is Registered, per IPOS.
• Falsely representing that a mark is registered is an offence under section 51 of the Trade Marks Act, which treats ® and the word "registered" as such a representation (laws.sg). So don't add ® to your Shopify logo while the application is pending.

Protecting your brand overseas

A Singapore registration covers Singapore only. If you sell abroad through Shopify Markets, consider protection in your main markets. The Madrid System, run by WIPO, lets you file one international application through your home office, based on your Singapore application or registration, and designate other member countries. WIPO's guide explains that each designated country examines the mark under its own law. Check that each target country is a Madrid member and look at both IPOS's and WIPO's fees.

Domain names

Register the matching domains early; our local SEO guide covers .sg and .com.sg. If someone registers a .sg domain using your brand in bad faith, SGNIC's dispute resolution policy lets you complain. You must show the domain is identical or confusingly similar to a mark you have rights in, the holder has no legitimate interest, and it was registered or used in bad faith. Remedies are transfer or cancellation, not damages (Cognomen). A registered trade mark is strong evidence of your rights.

Taking down copycats

• Shopify stores. Shopify has an intellectual property report form. Its trademark policy says notices need your contact details, the specific infringing URLs, your registration details, an explanation of the infringement and signed statements.
• Shopee. Shopee's Brand IP Protection portal lets rights owners and authorised agents register IP documents, report listings and track cases (Shopee SG seller guide).
• Lazada. Lazada's IP protection handbook says rights holders register on the Alibaba IPP platform, upload proof of their rights and file takedown complaints.
• TikTok Shop. TikTok Shop bans counterfeit products, and counterfeit penalties affect sellers' access to affiliates; see our TikTok Shop guide.

All of these work best with a registration certificate. If you also sell on marketplaces, see Shopee and Lazada vs Shopify. Selling digital products? Your files are protected by copyright instead; see selling digital products on Shopify in Singapore.

Checklist

1. Search IPOS Digital Hub, marketplaces and social media for similar names.
2. Pick your classes using IPOS's pre-approved descriptions.
3. File Form TM4; consider SG Trade Marks Fast if timing matters.
4. Use ™ until registered, then ®.
5. Diarise the 10-year renewal.
6. Register matching domains and handles.
7. Plan overseas filings for your main export markets.
8. Enrol in marketplace brand programmes once registered.

Frequently asked questions

Does registering my business name with ACRA protect my brand?

No. IPOS says registering a business name with ACRA, or a domain name with SGNIC, is not trade mark protection. If you use your business name as a brand on goods or services, IPOS recommends registering it as a trade mark.

How long does it take to register a trade mark in Singapore?

IPOS says it may take about 9 months if the application has no deficiencies and faces no objection or opposition. After examination, an accepted mark is published in the Trade Marks Journal for 2 months, during which anyone can oppose. Objections and oppositions add time.

When can I use the ® symbol?

Only once your mark's status is Registered. IPOS says ™ just tells people you're using a name or logo as a trade mark, while ® shows it's protected under trade mark law. Section 51 of the Trade Marks Act makes it an offence to falsely represent a mark as registered.

How long does a Singapore trade mark registration last?

IPOS says a registered trade mark is protected for 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed when it expires.

Does a Singapore trade mark protect my brand overseas?

No, trade marks are territorial. To protect your brand in markets such as Malaysia or Indonesia, you can file in each country or use the Madrid System, which lets you file one international application through your home office and designate several member countries. Each country then examines the mark under its own law.

Building a brand you'll want to protect? A Shopify trial lets you set up your store under your brand name while your trade mark application goes through.

Start a Shopify trial →

References

Rules, features and fees change, so check the live page before you act on anything here.

1. Introduction to trade marks, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. Accessed 13 October 2026.
2. How to register trade marks, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. Accessed 13 October 2026.
3. Trade marks forms and fees, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. Accessed 13 October 2026.
4. IPOS Digital Hub, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. Accessed 13 October 2026.
5. IP guide: Singapore, Goodwins Law / GLOBALAW. Accessed 13 October 2026.
6. Nice Classification, World Intellectual Property Organization. Accessed 13 October 2026.
7. Trade Marks Act 1998, Part 6 (offences), Singapore Statutes Online. Accessed 13 October 2026.
8. Trade Marks Act 1998, section 51, laws.sg. Accessed 13 October 2026.
9. Madrid System, World Intellectual Property Organization. Accessed 13 October 2026.
10. Guide to the Madrid System, World Intellectual Property Organization. Accessed 13 October 2026.
11. Trade mark vs company name registration in Singapore, NM Law. Accessed 13 October 2026.
12. Singapore Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP), SGNIC. Accessed 13 October 2026.
13. Comparing the UDRP with the .sg national procedure, Cognomen. Accessed 13 October 2026.
14. Report an intellectual property issue, Shopify. Accessed 13 October 2026.
15. Reporting trademark or trade dress infringement, Shopify Help Center. Accessed 13 October 2026.
16. Shopee Brand IP Protection, Shopee. Accessed 13 October 2026.
17. Report infringements via Brand IP Portal, Shopee Seller Education Hub (SG). Accessed 13 October 2026.
18. Lazada Intellectual Property Rights Protection Handbook, Lazada. Accessed 13 October 2026.