Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V

“Copy and paste.” The advent of modern technology has now led to people becoming “lazier” and “less innovative” by doing the simple act of pressing four keys on their keyboards, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. As a result, the copyright of a material is often infringed when a person does not credit the original author of the work and take others’ work as their own. Reposting, retweeting and sharing are all acceptable actions if due credits are given to the legitimate owner of the work. However, more often than not, people fail to do so. In Singapore, we follow the modern Copyright Act (Cap. 63) passed in 1987. With the exponential growth of technology and its usage, nowadays, people can easily source the internet for information with just a few simple clicks and taps. This makes the protection of works increasingly difficult as one would be unaware of how and when their resources are being used by other individuals. In Flew’s (2014) words, “copyright and intellectual property law [have] become, in many respects, the crucible of the issues and challenges presented by the development of new media for [the] law, policy and governance.” For more information about the Copyright laws in Singapore, check: https://www.guidemesingapore.com/business-guides/managing-business/trademark-registration/an-introduction-to-copyright-law-in-singapore From external readings, I have also learnt that there is a difference between trademarked properties and copyright materials. However, something that is common between the two entities is that they are created by others with different purposes (be it commercial or not) and no matter the case to be argued, they should not be used carelessly or inappropriately without official credentials or transferral of rights. In this week’s readings, Flew mentioned the usage of corporate trademarks which are “reproduced and often parodied”, while the answer to the question of whether the reproduction of trademarked materials is a clear infringement of property rights, what about parodies? This is a difficult question to answer due to the multitude of layers required to break down what intellectual property rights really constitute. Piracy is another issue plaguing societies. More streaming and illegal downloading sites are created for the masses. Nowadays, we no longer have to physically enter and purchase tickets to watch a movie. We can easily watch the same movie, at the same quality in our own homes for free and the only condition for that is the possession of a digital device connected to the internet. However, unknowingly or perhaps consciously, by doing such acts we are participating in illegal piracy. Piracy is beneficial to the consumers of the content while extremely detrimental to the producers as profit and exclusivity are lost. Reference list: Flew, T. (2014). New Media (4th ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford, pp. 187-197.