Singapore, 18 December 2008 – The Copyright (Excluded Works) Order was published in the Government Gazette today. With the expiry of the existing Copyright (Excluded Works) Order 2005 on 31 December 2008, the new Order will replace the existing Order with effect from 1 January 2009 and will remain in force until 31 December 2012.
The Copyright Act (Cap. 63) prohibits the circumvention of technological access control measures that are applied to copyright material and protected performances (Section 261C(1)(a)). The Minister for Law may however exclude any legitimate and authorized use of specified copyright material and performances or specified classes of copyright material and performances from the prohibition which it may hinder (Section 261D(2))
The new Order was drafted following two public consultation exercises that were conducted in 2006 and 2007. It incorporates two new rules:
a) To allow tertiary institutions that conduct film or media courses to circumvent technological access control measures applied to films contained in their libraries for the purpose of making clips for teaching in the classroom.
b) To allow the circumvention of a technological access control measure applied to compact discs containing sound recordings or films, for purposes of correcting or investigating security flaws or vulnerabilities in personal computers which may be created or exploited by that technological access control measure.
Modifications have also been made to the existing rules. The key modifications are:
a) The rule permitting the circumvention of technological access control measures applied to obsolete computer programs or video games has been narrowed to apply only to purposes of preservation or archival reproduction by libraries and archives only.
b) The rule allowing the circumvention of technological access control measures applied to literary works in electronic book format has been broadened so that the act of circumvention is permitted if either the read-aloud function or screen reader accessibility has been disabled.
“The Copyright (Excluded Works) Order 2008 has been carefully crafted to balance the concerns of copyright owners and the needs of users. With the implementation of the new Order in 2009, Singapore’s Copyright regime will be further enhanced,” said Ms Liew Woon Yin, Director-General of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS).
The new Order and details can be found at http://www.ipos.gov.sg.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Melvyn Loey (Mr)
Legal Policy & Internal Affairs Department
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
DID: 6330 2756
Fax: 6339 0252
Email: melvyn_loey@ipos.gov.sg
Tan Mei Jue (Ms)
Public Relations Department
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
DID: +65 6331 6581
Fax: +65 6331 6562
Email: tan_mei_jue@ipos.gov.sg
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), a statutory board under the Ministry of Law since April 2001, is the lead government agency that advises on and administers intellectual property (IP) laws, promotes IP awareness and provides the infrastructure to facilitate the development of IP in Singapore. With IP fast becoming a critical resource in today’s new economy, IPOS’s vision is to foster a creative Singapore where ideas and intellectual efforts are valued, developed and exploited. More information on IPOS can be found on www.ipos.gov.sg.