Yvonne Tang discusses copyright laws and religious texts in Asia IP

07 Mar 2025

Director Yvonne Tang was featured in Asia IP, where she provided insights on how copyright laws apply to religious texts, particularly modern translations and adaptations in Singapore.

While Singapore and Malaysia, as common law jurisdictions that once adopted the UK Imperial Copyright Act, share many similarities in their copyright frameworks, Yvonne highlighted a key difference. She pointed out that while Malaysia's Copyright Act 1987 mirrors many provisions of Singapore's, it lacks a provision equivalent to Section 296 of the Singapore Copyright Act, which exempts religious performances of literary, dramatic, or musical works in worship settings from copyright infringement. This exception in Singapore likely reflects the need to accommodate religious songs during worship, similar to practices in countries like India and Thailand, where religious music plays a significant role.

Yvonne also noted that in Singapore, religious texts are protected as literary works under the Copyright Act, with fair use provisions permitting non-commercial educational purposes. However, Section 296 offers a unique exemption for religious performances during worship services. "Ultimately, religious text is protectable as a type of copyrighted work in Singapore, and whether fair use defenses are available for a particular use will largely turn on the facts of the case," she explained. Yvonne further added that in copyright infringement disputes, courts may consider broader policy objectives, including the preservation of religious harmony, when evaluating fair use in the context of religious practices.

You may click here to read the full article that appears on Asia IP.