snoozy

SINGAPORE: Eight in ten young Singaporeans support the protection of intellectual property rights, but the majority are still not too concerned about the consequences of infringing these rights.

These are the key findings in an online survey, conducted by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS).

80 percent of the 630 participants in the survey knew it is wrong to download music off the internet or buy pirated discs.

But many still cannot say 'no' to it.

In fact, 42 percent of those surveyed believed that piracy and counterfeiting is acceptable.

And because illegal downloading is increasingly seen as a social norm, IPOS wants to address this issue head-on.

It will launch a year-long campaign on World IP Day on 26 April, hoping to change attitudes and moral behaviour.

It is also looking into another programme that aims to target the home.

Liew Woon Yin, Director-General, IPOS, said: "We are going to launch an initiative some time this year, together with the Internet Industry Association of Singapore, to tell parents that when their children download stuff, they might, at the end of the day, be infecting the computer with viruses. They might also lose their personal data."

Survey results also showed that six in ten people feel that punitive measures will deter them from illegal downloading.

But IPOS said its new campaign would employ a softer touch.

It understands that users will not be easily convinced to stop something as common as the practice of file sharing.

Michael Ng, a 21-year-old student, said: "To justify sharing files with stealing is going to be very difficult. Files are intangible and downloading it doesn't mean you are depriving the owner of that file from using it as well."

Felicia Natalie Liauw, an 18-year-old student, said: "I know a lot of people who are doing it. I think it's not really their fault because the resources are available and the original ones are very expensive. It all goes back to our inability to earn our own income."

Ernest Ferdian, a 19-year-old student, said: "Compared to other countries, I think law in Singapore regarding intellectual property is very strict but it's kind of hard to catch the people who infringe these rights."

IPOS acknowledged that it is impossible to stop illegal downloading completely and no country in the world has managed to do so.

But its focus is to control the problem and continue to educate the public about respecting IP rights.

- CNA/so

FamousAmos

Sadly, most young Singaporeans including myself can't afford to buy original license due to its too pricey. Even there got Student or Academic Version for some software, it is still too expensive as this will eat a student's almost whole monthly pay if buying this. Only rich Singaporeans can afford this. Sigh.

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saviour7

yeah.. the prices should be made more affordable.

finaldust

lol think if albums r cheaper then more ppl can buy in the end they would be making money or even more bah> or maybe can set student rate for students like us to buy

to fall in love is always easy
to start a relationship is always simple
to build it, is always tough
to maintain it, is 'better said than done'
to break off, is 'easier said than done'
to remain friends after u broke off, is never possible
to forget the memories is 'always doing but never succeeding'
to heal the pain within is hard and tough and never near simple
but one has to try to heal your own heart...

Cheer

haha ... if got student rate ... will oso increase birth rate eh ... adults might just give birth to have a child so as to enjoy student rate ... haha