The Second Reading of Singapore’s new Copyright Bill (“Draft Bill”) has been tabled for September 2021. The Draft Bill is set to replace the current Copyright Act (Cap. 60, Rev. Ed. 2006), which has been in force for fifteen years. In particular, it appears that the Draft Bill allows for stronger copyright protection for creators/performers […]
Phase 2 of Enhanced IP Border Protection Measures under the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
On 21 November 2019, the second phase (Phase 2) of enhanced IP border enforcement measures under the Intellectual Property (Border Enforcement) Act 2018 (IPBEA) came into effect upon the entry into force of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (the EUSFTA). The IPBEA was enacted following the conclusion of the EUSFTA in 2014 by which Singapore […]
Illicit streaming devices under the copyright microscope
For the first time in Singapore, a group of rights owners consisting of telecommunication companies and cable TV providers successfully enforced their rights against a seller of illicit streaming devices (ISDs). Abdul Nagib Abdul Aziz (the respondent) pleaded guilty to one charge under Section 136(3A) of the Copyright Act Cap 63, while another charge under […]
Singapore’s AGC Appeals Against Potentially Excessive Sentences for Sale of Android TV Boxes
In an unexpected twist of events following the conclusion of a 22-month court battle between a group of copyright owners and a retailer of Android TV boxes, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (the “AGC”) has filed a notice of appeal to the High Court against the sentences meted out by the State Court in Neil Kevin Gane […]
Amendments to the Copyright Act in Singapore
The Ministry of Law and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) published the Singapore Copyright Review Report recommending wide-ranging amendments to the Copyright Act in January 2019. These proposals come on the back of a three-year review and public consultation period which began in August 2016 and represents a much-needed update to the act. […]
Singapore: International Property Rights Index 2019
Singapore’s International Property Rights Index has risen and the country has achieved a 2nd ranking in the Asia and Oceania region and a 4th ranking worldwide for the year 2019. International Property Rights Index (IPRI) The IPRI is an index that measures the status of property rights globally. The IPRI score is indicative of the […]
99 Problems? Copyright ain’t one
Users of applications which act as a first point of call for those seeking a new property have grown exponentially in number in South East Asia, within a relatively short space of time. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that the case of PropertyGuru Pte Ltd v 99 Pte Ltd [2018] SGHC 52 before the […]
New Indonesian Customs Regulation for Protection of IP Rights
The Indonesian Government has recently implemented legislation to assist IP owners to enforce their copyrights and trademarks. The Regulation (No. 20 of 2017) came into force on August 2, 2017. The new Regulation provides that IP owners with rights registered in Indonesia may apply for customs recordal to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise […]
Singapore Copyright Infringement Cannot Extend to Directories
The Court of Appeal decision in Global Yellow Pages Ltd v Promedia Directories Pte Ltd [2017] SGCA 28 affirmed the decision of the High Court dated 28th January 2016 – ruling in favour of Promedia Directories (“the Defendant”) and dismissing Global Yellow Pages’ (“the Plaintiff”) appeal. The case has set important precedent in Singapore copyright […]
Malaysia – Useful Decision on infringement tests
The High Court of Malaysia recently issued a decision regarding patent and copyright infringement in BT Engineering v with characteristics similar to that of its own. The plaintiff further alleged that the defendant had infringed its copyright through the unauthorized use of photographs and design drawings. The defendant denied the allegations and in turn sought […]