Campus Activities

When running events and activities in the NTU campus, staff and students should take note of the below guidelines regarding the use of copyrighted works as part of those events.

Using music in a play or musical

Generally, you will need to obtain a licence from the relevant copyright owners or collecting societies:

For music that is played during the play or musical:

  • Seek permission from COMPASS
  • Seek permission from RIPS if the music is played from sound recordings such as CDs.

For music that is performed via live bands:

  • Seek permission from COMPASS and/or MPS
  • Seek permission from RIPS if it is a minus-one recording

To put up a play or musical, an Arts Entertainment Licence from the Media Development Authority of Singapore will be required unless exempted. Under the Public Entertainments and Meetings (Exemption) Order 2006, any public entertainment event/activity organized by NTU in any place which the public or any class of the public has access, with or without payment is exempted. If the play or musical is organized by NTU, you do not have to apply for this licence.

 

Using scripts

Scripts are protected as original literary works. The performance of a script in public is one of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner and would constitute copyright infringement unless this is done with the copyright owner’s consent or if a defence applies. Under Section 22 of the Copyright Act, performance includes any mode of visual or aural presentation by any means, other than by electronic transmission.

Section 23 of the Copyright Act provides for a defence in relation to the performance of literary, dramatic and musical works by students or staff of educational institutions. If the performance of a literary or dramatic work such as a script is done in the course of NTU’s activities, on NTU’s premises and the audience is limited to people who are directly connected with the place of instruction such as staff, students, parents and siblings of students of NTU, such performance is non-infringing and there is no need to seek permission of the copyright owner.

Where, however, the performance is open to the general public (for example, if tickets are sold to the public), you will need to seek permission (from either the copyright owner or the representative collecting society) to use the script if it is still protected by copyright:

  • If the script writer is still alive or it is still less than 70 years after the writer’s death
  • If a significant portion of the copyrighted script will be translated or adapted for local use
Generally, you will need to obtain a licence or the permission from the copyright owner of the program to be screened (this should be evident from sleeve of the DVD):

  • Television studio producing the program
  • Movie studio producing the program
  • Production house of the program

However, if the film is screened as part of a class for the purposes of criticism or review and sufficient acknowledgment of the film is made, there is no need to obtain permission from the copyright owner. Alternatively, if the film is screened on NTU’s premises in the course of the activities of NTU and is limited to persons who are taking part in the instruction or are otherwise directly connected with NTU, this would not amount to a public performance.

In addition to obtaining copyright clearance, a Film Exhibition Licence from the Media Development Authority of Singapore will be required if the film to be screened is rated NC16, M18, or R21. It would not be required if the film is rated PG 13, PG, or G. For student screenings, it is likely that the Film Exhibition Licence (Temporary) will suffice.

Normally, the conduct of any indoor or outdoor arts entertainment event that is open to members of the public would require an Arts Entertainment Licence from the Media Development Authority of Singapore unless exempted. Under the Public Entertainments and Meetings (Exemption) Order 2006, any public entertainment event/activity organized by NTU in any place which the public or any class of the public has access, with or without payment. If the concert is organized by NTU, you do not have to apply for this licence.

You will, however, need to obtain a licence or permission from the relevant copyright owners or collecting societies:

For music that is performed via live bands:

  • Seek permission from COMPASS and/or MPS
  • Seek permission from RIPS if it is a minus-one recording
Sculptures, photographs and paintings are protected as artistic works, and the doing of any of the exclusive acts of the copyright owner would generally amount to copyright infringement. Section 24(3)(c) of the Copyright Act provides that the exhibition of artistic works does not constitute a publication of the work.

This defence, however, only applies to the publication of the work. If reproductions of  paintings or photographs exhibited are made (eg. by taking a photograph, making a video recording or making a drawing of the same), this would amount to copyright infringement unless the exhibits are permanently installed in a public place or in premises open to the public, or if the consent of the copyright owner has been obtained.

A public exhibition would normally require an Arts Entertainment Licence from the Media Development Authority of Singapore unless exempted. However, under the Public Entertainments and Meetings (Exemption) Order 2006, any public entertainment event/activity organized by NTU in any place which the public or any class of the public has access, with or without payment. If the exhibition is organized by NTU, you do not have to apply for this licence.

Publicity & advertisements

In order to promote your campus events and activities, staff and students may have to create publicity materials and advertisements for them. When designing such publicity materials, please do take note of the below guidelines to avoid copyright infringement and using prohibited content.

  • You should ensure that the design is an original product of independent skill and labour, and not copied from other sources.
  • If you need to incorporate other copyright works in your publicity materials such as pictures or photos, you should ensure that permission has been granted by the copyright owner before you do so.
  • Some copyright owners allow for non-commercial use of their works (see for example Creative Commons works). If the image you intend to use is under a Creative Commons licence, you should review the terms of the licence and comply with the terms of use.
  • The exclusive rights of the copyright owner include the reproduction of the work and making an adaptation of the work. If you were to use publicity materials from other sources and modify these, this would amount to copyright infringement.
  • When featuring the trade marks of event sponsors in publicity materials, you will need to respect their wishes not to be featured.

 

The following materials are prohibited in publicity materials and advertisements:

  • Obscene materials
  • Objectionable materials (depicting matters such as sex, horror, crime, cruelty, violence, drug or alcohol consumption, matters of race or religion in such manner as is likely to cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill will or hostility between racial or religious groups)
  • Materials which are defamatory of other persons
  • Seditious materials (e.g. materials to bring into hatred, contempt or to excite disaffection against the Government or the administration of justice; materials to raise discontent or disaffection amongst citizens or residents; materials to promote ill will and hostility between different races or classes of population)
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Collecting Societies in Singapore

What are COMPASS, RIPS, etc.