Businesses and copyright owners who choose to resolve their copyright disputes through mediation will be offered reduced rates, as Singapore tries to position itself as the preferred dispute resolution destination for intellectual property (IP) matters.
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos), announcing this yesterday, said the goal is to give those in the creative industries access to more efficient and cost-effective ways to resolve copyright disputes.
Such disputes include those relating to collective management, in which an organisation acting in the interest of rights owners such as artists or authors, helps to collect licence fees, among other things.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo), the world governing body for IP rights, will offer the reduced rates to businesses and rights owners through its Arbitration and Mediation Centre.
Currently, it already offers reduced rates to businesses with disputes involving patents, registered designs and trademarks.
The centre charges an administration fee as well as US$2,500 (S$3,460) for 10 hours of mediation and preparation work for disputes involving sums of up to US$250,000. For disputes over larger sums, it typically charges more.
Under the reduced rates, each party involved in the mediation will pay a lower administration fee, as well as $500 for four hours of mediation and preparation work, plus $200 for each additional hour.
Wipo, which has handled arbitration and mediation cases in Singapore since 2010, said 35 per cent of its cases related to copyright issues. They include disputes involving licensing agreements, broadcasting agreements and TV formats, among other things.
Ipos director of hearings and mediation Mark Lim said: "This strategic partnership further enhances Singapore's appeal as the preferred IP dispute resolution destination for innovators and enterprises."
