You would have heard by now that Dallas Buyers Club LLC (“Dallas”) is sending letters of demand to Internet subscribers for alleged illegal downloading of the movie Dallas Buyers Club. This is something new. Thus far, aside from the Odex saga which shall be explained below, individual downloaders have not been targeted…
Category: Internet Law
Remote Gambling Act – how it will affect online gambling in Singapore
The Remote Gambling Act was passed on 7 October 2014, designed to strictly regulate the various forms of online gambling in Singapore. The Act will outlaw remote gambling provided by non-exempt operators. The full text of the bill passed by Parliament can be accessed here. What is gambling? Gambling is…
The new Copyright Act – the death of online piracy?
On July 8 2014, the Singapore Parliament passed a bill amending the Copyright Act, aiming to give copyright owners greater ability to protect their content from the reaches of online piracy. The crux of the bill was to enable copyright owners (such as cable TV networks), exclusive licensees, and performers…
What the Personal Data Protection Act Means for Individuals
What is ‘Personal Data’? What is your ‘personal data’? Section 2 of the Personal Data Protection Act defines personal data as data about an individual who can be identified either from the data itself or from other data that an organisation is likely to have access to. Thus, data like names and…
A Stomper took my picture and posted it on Stomp, defaming me. What can I do?
Unwanted publicity – that is, if someone took your photo without permission, posting it online, and accusing you of nasty behaviour, can be very damaging. It may even affect your reputation with your friends, colleagues, or even family members. Therefore, defamation laws in Singapore are in place to give you…
How do I write a disclaimer on my blog?
If you are in the habit of publishing information on your website, you may find the need to post a disclaimer to protect yourself from any liabilities that may arise. For example, you may be a particularly adventurous, aspiring chef who publishes food recipes on your blog. In this case,…
What if someone uses a picture or text from my blog, without permission?
Singapore’s laws on copyright are governed by the Copyright Act and enforced vicariously by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. Intellectual property can be categorised into patents, trademarks, copyrights and designs. If you took a photograph of the Singapore River, or wrote an article commenting on the General Elections, they…
What can I do if someone hacks into my user account and uses my account without permission? (Hotmail, Blogspot, Facebook etc)
If someone accesses your account, such as a Hotmail, Blogspot or Facebook, without permission, you may have legal recourse against the perpetrator. Under the Computer Misuse Act, various offences involving the unauthorised access of computer material are punishable crimes. These include, for instance: Logging into your account without permission Logging…
What should I do if I have been downloading media files illegally, and a lawyer’s letter has been served warning me to stop and to pay compensation?
In the 2007 ODEX anime saga, hundreds of illegal anime downloaders were issued letters demanding payment in place of litigation by ODEX. Payments asked for were as high as S$5,000 per downloader. ODEX was able to do so by first compelling Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to release personal information of…
What can I do if I am offended by a couple’s public displays of affection?
Behaviour such as kissing in public is currently unpunishable under Singapore law. The only related ordinances present in Singapore, such as section 27A of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance Act), includes a prohibition on nudity in public places, or appearing in the nude in a private place that…