Singapore Copyright Law Update

The Singapore Ministry of Law is making changes to the copyright law, and this is why you should be involved:

The PPAS has been working with the NTUC and ASG Patrick Tay, along with various government agencies to address the various issues concerning how the current copyright act is affecting our industry since the dialogue with Law Minister K. Shanmugam in 2013.

Discussion about the proposed changes to the Copyright Law at NTUC, June 2019
Discussion about the proposed changes to the Copyright Law at NTUC, June 2019

As visual image creators, our primary products are inherently intellectual properties, and the copyright law is what governs this key component of our business.

Being ignorant of copyright law puts a photographer in a severely disadvantaged position, not unlike a trader who knows nothing about how the stock market works.

Discussion about Copyright Law at NTUC, 2013

The past two decades have seen an exponential increase in the consumption of digital media. Whilst the industry has had some significant development riding the digital wave, repeated disregard for proper copyright usage in various ways has also eroded the gains made. This disregard has also destabilised the business foundations in this industry sector.

This rare opportunity to address the shortcomings is but one of many steps we must take if we want our industry to be sustainable again.

Do the new changes bring fairness to the playing field? We urge you to read through the article (and the act itself), then share any questions or feedback here.

Read the proposed bill here: https://www.mlaw.gov.sg/news/public-consultation-on-proposed-copyright-bill