Director Meryl Koh contributed to Asia IP article on IP rights in the metaverse

20 May 2022

Director Meryl Koh was invited to contribute to Asia IP’s article on intellectual property (IP) rights in the metaverse. The article centered on the many goings-on in the metaverse from an IP perspective even though the virtual world might not yet be a prevalent entity in most people’s everyday life.

Meryl delved deep into several key issues including the development of the metaverse in Singapore, the IP issues that metaverse platforms should be concerned about and if the businesses and authorities in Singapore are ready for the IP challenges brought by the metaverse.

Sharing her views on possible IP disputes she anticipates related to the metaverse, Meryl said, “On a fundamental level, given that the metaverse is conceptually similar to other existing digital realities (augmented reality, virtual reality, and even video games in general), we can expect similar disputes to arise. These would include disputes based on copyright law, trademark law / passing off, and arising from related licensing or contractual arrangements.” “Going a step further, the metaverse is said to distinguish itself from existing digital realities due to its persistent, interactive, interoperable, and potentially decentralised nature; and that, as such, people can one day “live” in the metaverse, with its own decentralised currency and ecosystem. This gives rise to further potential areas of dispute.”, she added.

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