According to an update dated 28 August 2026, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has upgraded its industrial design e-filing system to align more closely with the WIPO Hague System. For graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and animated digital icons in Hague applications designating Singapore, applicants no longer need to provide an additional static-state screenshot purely to satisfy a local filing formality. Native motion files, including formats such as MP4 and GIF, can instead be used for the relevant record. The change should reduce the need to repackage international filing materials for Singapore and may also lower the risk of formal deficiency notices caused by mismatched representation formats.
The practical benefit is straightforward: motion-based GUI designs can be presented in a form that better reflects how users actually experience them, without forcing filing teams to create artificial freeze-frame references for local purposes. That said, a more flexible file format does not remove the need for a clear and consistent disclosure. Applicants should still check that the sequence, key visual elements and transitions are sufficiently identifiable, and should verify technical requirements such as file size, format compatibility and consistency between the Hague filing and the Singapore record. For software and digital-product companies, this looks less like a substantive relaxation of design protection standards and more like a useful removal of procedural friction.
