SINGAPORE - About two in three young Singaporeans have not protected their content through intellectual property (IP)-related means, even though they are creating or have created works such as paintings, photographs and computer programs.

And more than a third of these content creators do not know how to do so.

This surfaced in the findings of a recent survey conducted jointly by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos) and the National Youth Council (NYC).

The survey involved 1,000 respondents, aged between 16 and 34, who were asked about topics such as their familiarity with IP, how involved they are in content creation, and the ways in which they protect this content.

The findings were revealed by Ipos and NYC on Tuesday (April 26) during an event commemorating World IP Day.

The event, which also celebrated youth and innovation, included a panel discussion on topics such as IP protection. The panellists comprised musician Benjamin Kheng, podcast host Sabrina Shiraz, fintech firm Fomo Pay's founder and chief executive Louis Liu, and lawyer Benjamin Cheong.

The survey found that about two in five respondents who said they had not protected their content did not think that it was worthy enough to be protected.

But nearly a quarter of those polled who said they had created content had made artistic efforts such as paintings, photographs and drawings, which are among works protected by copyright.

An owner of a copyright to a work controls its use and commercial exploitation, such as having the right to prevent others from reproducing it.

Close to a quarter of those who said they had not protected their content had created branding works such as unique names, logos or symbols.

Such content may be registered with Ipos as trademarks - signs used to distinguish a business' goods or services from those of other traders.

A business has the exclusive right to use its registered trademark for the goods or services it had earlier specified during registration.

Seven in 10 respondents said they were somewhat familiar with the term "intellectual property". But fewer than one-fifth of those surveyed correctly identified copyright, trademarks and patents as IP types.

About half of the respondents wanted the Government to lead efforts to help them understand IP rules and guide them on IP creation.

Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan, who was at Tuesday's event, said in his speech that youth in Singapore are becoming more entrepreneurial.

"In our surveys, more than one in four indicated interest to launch or join a start-up when they graduate," said Mr Tan, who is also Minister of State for Trade and Industry.

"And about two in three had created their own content for personal use."

Noting Singapore's 10-year plan to strengthen its position as a global hub for intangible assets (IA) and IP, he said Ipos and SkillsFuture Singapore are working together to integrate IA and IP skills into relevant job roles and career maps.

IP Resources by Ipos

IP Business Clinic

This free service allows businesses to speak with a professional consultant on their IP strategies and options for up to 45 minutes.

IP Legal Clinic

This service allows Singapore citizens, permanent residents and Singapore-registered businesses to obtain preliminary advice from a professional lawyer on issues such as IP infringement. Each session lasts 45 minutes.

The lawyer's fee can range from $200 to $500, but can be subsequently reimbursed by Ipos.

IP2SG

This online portal allows users to access various e-services, such as filing IP applications as well as searching for IP records.

Revised Enhanced Mediation Promotion Scheme

This scheme encourages parties in an IP dispute before Ipos to choose mediation as an alternative to a hearing.

The parties can be reimbursed mediation costs of up to$10,000 for cases involving IP rights in Singapore, or up to $14,000, where foreign IP rights are involved.