Abstract:
The right of communication was first introduced into Singapore five years ago as part of the 2004 amendments to the Singapore Copyright Act 1987. Modelled on Art 8 of the WIPO Copyright Treaty 1996, the right of communication enables the copyright owner to control the communication and dissemination of his works to the public. Admittedly, a considerable amount of uncertainty still prevails over the precise scope of the right of communication to the public, particularly in the sphere of electronic or digital transmissions. The objective of this article is to study the scope of this relatively new right of communication, assess its impact on the content industry (and on content users in particular) and offer possible interpretations of the statutory provisions. Finally, this article also considers the extraterritorial effect, if any, of the right of communication to the public and its impact on the doctrine of territoriality in copyright laws.