Saturday, December 16, 2006
My workload now has been increasing and increasing and when will it ever stop?!!! There are just tons of trade marks advertisements in da Trade Marks Journal (Singapore - for those trade marks applications, filed or registered in Singapore), in da Government Gazette (Msia and Brunei - for those trade marks applications, filed or registered in those 2 countries) to be reported to clients. Although da dateline stated: 2 months from da date of advertisement BUT opposition can come in within 2 weeks to 1 month!!
For Singapore Trade Mark Applications, I have to bill da clients. So that's a step more - do billing! For Msia and Brunei, just proceed to report to clients informing them that da proprietor's mark has been successfully accepted (something like that la)
P/S: dun ask me what is opposition. i am not a lawyer i dun even knw what is opposition. all i knw is, when a certain client wanted to use the same mark or was about to use da mark or happened to have the mark before, den they lodge an opposition. when that happens, da lawyers will do da neccessary court proceedings..
I am not only doing da advertisement portfolio. I am also doing another portfolios.. Very seldom, for Singapore applications, I have to do da TM 6 (dun ask me what is that either). TM 6 is a stage to do da prints of da mark and giro payment and send to the IPOS (Intellectual Property of Singapore) within a stated deadline set by da IPOS. If Registry (Registry of Trade Marks dept in IPOS) didnt get any response, they will abandon da mark (even if clients instructed not to). After stage TM 6 has been doned, like I'd mentioned, da mark will finally be advertised in da Trade Marks Journal.
P/S: Singapore Trade Marks Journal is always on every Wed and Fri and alternate Mons!! And there are many marks under da agent of da law firm I am currently working in now. Stressful I tell u!
For Msia applicatioms, I have to do CD 29 and CD 64, which is exactly da same as TM 6:-prepare da prints of da mark, prepare cheques to pay MyIPO (Malaysia Intellectual Property Office?) for da advertisment fee. This also has a dateline set by da Registrar. (another name for MyIPO) Same issue applies, no response given to da Registrar, mark is considered abandoned.
Da same for applications in Brunei. So far in my 9 months of working dealing in that portfolio alone, no mark was abandoned. One was almost abandoned but it wasnt my fault. Da lawyer handling that matter was on maternity leave and coincidently, her secretary was still new at that time so that particular Form CD 29 was kept on da lawyer's desk without any knowledge of her secretary or even da lawyer who was handling her matters during her absense. When that particular lawyer was back from her maternity leave, I guess she may have noticed that Form CD 29 and called me on my extension and she requested me to still process da Form CD 29 with an extension fee to MyIPO under cover Form CD 27? Ya, I think so coz I only did da Form CD 27 once. I did it all by myself without asking anyone coz I know that CD 27 should be done by da secretaries. If I were to ask, some of them who was so fed up with da management will exclaim, "Cant da secretary do?! Why must u?" So I'll keep quiet and just do what da lawyer wants me to do by drafting it. If da draft is approved, I'll reprint. If there's amendment on da draft, I'll follow accordingly. Everything I am not sure of, I'll draft.
P/S: Yes, there are standard letters for each reporting letter (just change da references, date, address of clients, etc) but somehow I like to do my own drafting. Heh. Some lawyers are Ok and some are not.
After all da CD 29, CD 64 (Msia), TM 27 (Brunei) and TM 6 (Spore) has been processed, it will take quite sometime for da mark to be advertised. Advertisement is another portfolio I am dealing with. Advertisements come in a bulk so do da files and I have to report each and every one to da clients before there is any opposition.
All da other clerks are handling one portfolio. Some of their portfolio are big, some are small, some are average. I dun knw abt mine. All I knw is I am handling 2 portfolios. Da approach me a few times asking how was I coping. I cant seem to tell him that I am trying to cope. I did say that for da first time and his answer was, "still trying to cope?" So I can only answer, "I am coping well now." (although I am struggling to cope)
There is another reason on why I dun wish to inform him that I cant cope. It is becoz of my pay. I have wrote in this blog before that my pay has been increased from $1,100 to $1,600 aft 3 months probation. I have no idea why such high increase coz I heard da "office politics" spreading around that da law firm I am working at now WONT GIVE such a high increment. There are some remarks from seniors saying something like, "Dun hope for increment. Here no increment, bad filing system etcetra."
Salary is confidential matter BUT THIS IS MY BLOG, I'll rant whatever I want. Please read my disclaimer if u have forgotten.
Why is it beco of my salary of $1,600 that I say I dun dare to inform da boss that my workload is now becoming more?
I think I have come to a few answers after 6 months of soul searching. Firstly, I am a Diploma graduate. $1600 is da starting salary for most of da diploma graduates. Be it a private or local poly diploma. Secondly, during my interview for this job, I was asked these questions >> "Are u planning to get married any time soon?" and "Do u have a boyfriend?" Both my answers are NO. Thirdly, like what I have been ranting in da above paragraphs.. >> I am doing 2 portfolios.. If da boss gave me da same pay as most of them (which is lesser than $1600 but more than $1100), not only I find it ridiculous, others find da same too. Doing 2 portfolios but was given a pay less than what I got, that's really ridiculous so da boss is smart enuff to give me that kind of pay.
Hence, becoz of da third reason, I dun dare to go inside his room and inform him that I cant cope anymore. He has da confident that I can cope and thats y he gave me those 2 portfolios with that kind of reasonable pay.
Sigh, but a lot of my colleagues had suggested to me to voice it out to him. Tell him of my difficulties coping with da bulk amount of backlogs to be cleared. So how? Should I or should I not?
