IPOS, MinLaw launch public consultation on draft regulations for CMOs
09 November 2022
Singapore’s Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) launched a public consultation to seek feedback on draft subsidiary legislation on the regulation of collective management organizations (CMOs) on November 7, 2022.
CMOs administer licenses and collect royalties for use of copyright works and performances on behalf of creators, while providing users with efficient access to such content.
The public consultation is part of an ongoing review of Singapore’s copyright regime.
The subsidiary legislation, the Copyright (Collective Management Organisations) Regulations, will be made pursuant to Singapore’s Copyright Act 2021 which establishes a statutory framework for the regulation of CMOs in the form of a mandatory class licensing scheme. Copyright Act 2021 is not yet in force.
Under the class licensing scheme, all CMOs will be automatically licensed and must comply with all applicable license conditions.
IPOS will be the regulator of the scheme and will be empowered to take regulatory actions against CMOs and their officers for any breach of license conditions.
To support the administration of the new CMO class licensing scheme, IPOS has established a new Copyright Unit effective September 1, 2022. In addition to overseeing the regulation of CMOs, the unit will manage other copyright-related matters, including developing and reviewing Singapore’s copyright policy and laws, advising the government on copyright issues, representing Singapore at international and regional fora on copyright matters and providing administrative support services related to the copyright regime.
The draft Regulations take into consideration the feedback received from the earlier rounds of public consultations.
Members of the public are invited to submit their views by December 4, 2022 to:
Ministry of Law
Intellectual Property Policy Division, Ministry of Law
100 High Street, #08-02, The Treasury
Singapore 179434
Email:MLAW_Consultation@mlaw.gov.sg
The full public consultation paper may be viewed here.
- Asia IP
