The Indonesian Government has recently implemented legislation to assist IP owners to enforce their copyrights and trademarks. The Regulation (No. 20 of 2017) came into force on August 2, 2017. The new Regulation provides that IP owners with rights registered in Indonesia may apply for customs recordal to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise […]
Singapore Copyright Infringement Cannot Extend to Directories
The Court of Appeal decision in Global Yellow Pages Ltd v Promedia Directories Pte Ltd [2017] SGCA 28 affirmed the decision of the High Court dated 28th January 2016 – ruling in favour of Promedia Directories (“the Defendant”) and dismissing Global Yellow Pages’ (“the Plaintiff”) appeal. The case has set important precedent in Singapore copyright […]
Malaysia – Useful Decision on infringement tests
The High Court of Malaysia recently issued a decision regarding patent and copyright infringement in BT Engineering v with characteristics similar to that of its own. The plaintiff further alleged that the defendant had infringed its copyright through the unauthorized use of photographs and design drawings. The defendant denied the allegations and in turn sought […]
Malaysia – Voluntary Copyright Registration Introduced
Regulations pertaining to the voluntary notification of copyright came into force in Malaysia on June 1, 2012. There was no formal copyright registration process prior to the Regulations. Being a party to the Berne Convention, copyrighted works are protected immediately upon creation and fulfilment of certain conditions in the Copyright Act (original or derivative work; […]
New Rules In The Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines announced new Rules of Procedure for IP rights cases on October 18 2011. The Rules took effect on 8 November 2011 and govern new and pending civil and criminal actions for IPR violations lodged before the Special Commercial Courts designated by the Supreme Court. The Rules aim to eliminate […]
ASEAN and India – The Importance of Industrial Design Protection
Of the four pillars of intellectual property protection – patents, industrial designs, trademarks and copyrights – perhaps the most overlooked is that for industrial (ornamental) designs. In most countries, the available design protection is generally very narrow, with a minimal halo of protection around the exact design depicted in the application. Why would an applicant […]
Jail For Lady Counterfeiter In Manila
There are rare occasions by which a criminal case is filed for violation of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293). But in those rare occasions, the Philippine courts do not hesitate to sink their teeth in deeply and put the counterfeiter behind bars. After more than a decade of legal […]
Philippines – IPOPHL Starts Accepting Copyright Applications
In January 2011, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) whereby IPOPHL and its Satellite Offices have been given the authority to accept the registration and deposit for copyrighted works. The registration process is simple. Only a formal examination of the […]
India – Exhaustion In Copyrights
The doctrine of exhaustion or the first sale rule affirms the exhaustion of an asset’s intellectual property rights vested with its owner after its first use or sale. As a result, no further control can be exercised by the owner vis-à-vis distribution or resale of the product. Applying the principle more specifically to the realm […]
Testing The Tensile Strength Of Copyright Law In Singapore
INTRODUCTION To state that technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, would be a gross understatement. Such has been the rate of technological development that even Moore’s Law seems to be outdated! However, on a more serious note, it has been a perpetual cat and mouse game between technology and the law. Fortunately or unfortunately, […]