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TECHNOLOGY LAW

Computer Law and Information Technology Law

The firm's Information Technology practice advises clients and negotiates with clients' partners on contemporary legal and commercial issues on multimedia law including computer law, the Internet, domain name protection, web-site protection, technology transfer and licensing of Information Technology.

Through close collaboration with clients' management as well as their engineers, the group places importance on achieving commercially practical legal solutions.

Protection of Works on the Internet

Singapore has 98% of its households enjoying access to broadband connectivity. With a total population of 3.53 million, it has 1.06 million adult Internet users, which translates into about 40% of its population. E-commerce revenues totalled US$228.50 million in Singapore in the year 1999. On 1st April 2000, the telecommunications industry became de-regulated and between April to-date, there are now about over 120 telecommunication companies in Singapore. In such an open and recently de-regulated playing field on-line piracy is expected to rise. In a digital environment, legal disputes range from unauthorised use by a user of a work protected by copyright, the provision of infringing works by an ISP or NSP, protection of content on the website; the above-mentioned being the most prolific examples of activities which give rise to legal disputes. More specifically, the issues involve whether activities such as hyperlinking, deeplinking, framing, imaging and metatagging are acts which the law permits or prohibits.

Singapore's Copyright (Amendment) Act 1999 was passed in August 1999 and has the following 3 objectives:-

- to address various issues arising from the use of copyright
material in a digital environment;

- \to give greater rights to performances under the Act;

- to make further amendments to give effect to TRIPS.

Amendment Act 1999 achieves the following:-

- clarifies that copyright protection is applicable also to electronic
and temporary copying;

- clarifies the liability of network services providers and

- extends certain existing concepts in the Copyright Act 1987 to
make them applicable in the digital environment.

Technology Protection & Management

Our clients approach us with their patents, trade secrets and know-how and confidential information, seeking our advice on how to protect, commercialise and use these IP rights as assets. With the rapid pace of research and development in Singapore, and the emphasis on investment in the information and biotechnolgy industries, Intellectual Property assets assume an even higher place in the scheme of a company's assets. To optimise these assets, we offer clients expert legal advice on the various schemes and options available to clients.

We draft confidentiality agreements, technology transfer agreements, technology licenses escrow agreements, and other transactional strategies to optimise clients' assets.

We work with clients to protect and manage their IP rights in commercially challenging environments.

Telecommunication Law

Recognizing Singapore's objective to become the leader in the telecommunication industry in South East Asia, the firm has developed a practice in this area of law. The telecommunication industry in Singapore was de-regulated on 1 April 2000 to open the industry to competing telcos providing

a full range of telecommunication services. These comprehensive services raise legal issues of broadcasting, audio and visual recording rights, performing rights, performance rights including protection of the latest multimedia technology used in entertainment through computers under the recent Copyright Amendment Act.

Technology Due Diligence

We represent both techonology start-ups and investment companies. An important pre-requisite to any commercial venture involving Intellecutal Property and industrial rights is the due diligence review of the IPR. Usig our experience and expertise, we conduct due dilegence exercises on behalf of clients seeking to obtain licenses or invest in emerging companies. We organise and arrange for patent searches as well as for the evaluation of technology.

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