'Future-proofing' Singapore's Copyright Act
Proposed revamp seeks to ensure law is flexible enough to protect creative people and society in years to come and in the face of change.
SINGAPORE'S Copyright Act was enacted in 1987, more than three decades ago. That year, Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore's Prime Minister, The Simpsons first appeared on television, and the initial section of something called the MRT was opened between Yio Chu Kang and Toa Payoh.
It was an era that knew nothing of social media, smartphones, the gig economy, the sharing economy, or peer-to-peer torrents. In fact, the public hadn't even started using the Internet, as Tim Berners-Lee hadn't even created the World Wide Web yet (that would come a couple of years later).
In today's Internet Age, Singaporeans have been trying to apply provisions of the Copyright Act to new and developing situations, which writers of the 1987 Act never dreamed of.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
