A landmark decision was issued on 19 April 2024 as Vietnam’s People’s Court of Hanoi found an accused guilty of illegally broadcasting through BestBuy IPTV service football matches of the English Premier League. It was the first time in Vietnam that a case was filed in criminal court for Copyright Under the Criminal Law – […]
Tag: Copyright Infringement
Tiger Pictures Entertainment Ltd v. Encore Films Pte Ltd: An expedited process in the interest of justice?
A recent High Court judgment was the first of its kind that concerned the “simplified process” for intellectual property claims in Singapore. The simplified process took effect in Singapore from April 1, 2022. It is a discretionary, streamlined process to expedite the management of intellectual property disputes to enable disputants (particularly SMEs) to save costs […]
Key Changes in Singapore’s new Copyright Bill
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 […]
SINGAPORE: Principal Assistant Registrar Exercises Power to Give Decision Without a Hearing
As a result of inaction by the applicant, the Principal Assistant Registrar (PAR) exercised his power under Section 37(4) of the Trade Marks Rules to decide on a case on February 4, 2020, without any hearing. Seek Asia Pte Ltd (the applicant) applied to register a composite trademark “SEEK ASIA” consisting of the words “Seek […]
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. […]