Copyright Protection In Singapore - Designs

Where a design is registrable under the United Kingdom's Registered Designs Act 1949 (as amended) (the "RDA"), it is not protected in Singapore under the Copyright Act. To protect the said design, the design owner has to obtain a United Kingdom design registration. Singapore's United Kingdom Designs (Protection) Act confers on such a United Kingdom registrant like privileges and rights in Singapore as though the certificate of registration in the United Kingdom had been issued with an extension to Singapore. There is presently no independent system for the registration of designs in Singapore.

Singapore's United Kingdom Designs (Protection) Act further provides that where a defendant proves that at the date of the infringement, he was not aware nor had any reasonable means of making himself aware of the existence of the United Kingdom design registration, damages are not recoverable. Design owners would therefore be well advised to instruct Singapore solicitors to publish in