Rules Of Copyright in Singapore

Rules Of Copyright in Singapore – What is Copyright? Copyright or authorship in work means power and privilege to prohibit the following. Read on – Rules Of Copyright in Singapore

• Copying of the whole or significant parts of the work;
• Producing derivative works from work, i.e., doing other works that are derived from your source material;
• Renting, distributing, lending, or commercially exploiting the work;
• Performing, exhibiting, or playing the work in public;
• Broadcasting the work; and
• Adapting your work. Copyright does not have to be asserted for a creator to have Copyright over his work.

What is a copyright license?

A copyright license is a contract between a person who wants to use copyrighted material legally and a copyright owner/creator, which allows these parties to legally use the copyrighted material.

The copyright license sets out conditions for using the copyrighted work that is sought to be used. For example, a copyright license may allow an individual or organization to make personal copies of a literary or musical work obtained legally but not distribute these copies in any way.

The Intellectual Property Act governs Copyright in Singapore. To obtain copyright protection, your work must be of ‘sufficient intellectual skill,’ and the author of the work must have been a qualified person.

In Singapore, Copyright protects works in three main areas:

• (1) Literary, Musical and Artistic Works;

• (2) Sound Recordings, Films and Broadcasts; and

• (3) Databases. When you create original works or compile data, it is important to understand what you are allowed to do with these works before they are published.

The Copyright Act also specifies certain acts which are not infringing Copyright, providing they are done for non-profit purposes and by educational institutions or libraries or archives.

What is not Copyrighted?

In Singapore, any idea or concept expressed is not protected by copyright law unless expressed in a material form that qualifies for copyright protection. If you don’t keep a proper record or properly file your works, you’ll be unable to claim it back from someone who has stolen your work.

Can Moral Rights be Exercised?

Moral rights include the right to attribution of work, object to derogatory treatment of work, and the right to privacy of certain photos or films. They are personal rights belonging to the author/creator of the work, which cannot be assigned or transferred to anyone else.

What Constitutes Infringement?

Infringement occurs when someone does any of the following without the authorization of the copyright owner:

• makes a copy or adaptation of your work;

• sells, rents out, performs, shows, or plays your work in public;

• imports copies of your work into Singapore for sale, rental out, public performance, showing or playing the work in public;

• distributes copies of your work to the extent that the copyright owner’s market is being adversely affected by the creation of new markets through such distribution;

• makes available copies of your work to the public over the internet.

• broadcasts or shows your work in public;

• adapts your work. All the above will be infringements if done without the authorization of the copyright owner.

What are my obligations as a copyright owner?

You owe your readers, viewers, or players the following duties:

• The duty to be true to fact;
  
• The duty not to distort facts;
  
• The duty not to put the work in such a false light as would be likely to damage the reputation of any person; and
  
• The duty is not to make any statement you know or believe to be false or seriously defamatory.
  
  As a copyright owner, you are also obliged to ensure that there is nothing in your work that could be construed as an inducement or statement of fact made by you to obtain for yourself any commercial advantage.

What is Public Domain?

Public domain refers to works whose copyrights have expired or do not qualify for copyright protection because the owners have not asserted their intellectual property rights.

How do I protect/assert my Copyright?

To ensure that your Copyright over your work is protected, you need to:

• (1) Register your work with Singapore’s National Library Board (NLB); and

• (2) Notate your Copyright with the Copyright Office of Singapore (the application is free)

Copyright protection commences on the date of creation, not publication. If you had a work registered with NLB earlier but did not submit your copyright annotation to the copyright office, it will be hard for you to claim back your rights over the use or reproduction of your work by other parties.

How Long Will Copyright Protection Last?

According to Section 40 of the Copyright Act, works are protected for 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which it was published. The duration of Copyright may vary according to when the work was created.

Rules Of Copyright in Singapore – Conclusion

In conclusion, Singapore copyright laws are not very complicated because they seek to maintain fairness between all parties more than anything else. If you allow others to act freely without infringing on their rights, you will be infringing on your rights in the long run.

Also, make sure that if you want to stop someone from doing something, it is because this something infringes on your rights and not because of mere ignorance.