International and Area Studies Commons^™

Taking Sino-Singapore Ties To A New Level, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

With China’s President Xi Jinping’s first State visit to Singapore last weekend, there is no doubt that the establishment of an “all round partnership” is catalytic in taking Sino-Singapore bilateral ties to a new level.

The Singapore International Commercial Court: A Challenge To Arbitration?, Kc Lye, Darius Chan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

Magna Carta Then And Now: A Symbol Of Freedom And Equal Rights For All, Eugene K. B. Tan, Jack Tsen-Ta Lee

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Magna Carta became applicable to Singapore in 1826 when a court system administering English law was established in the Straits Settlements. This remained the case through Singapore’s evolution from Crown colony to independent republic. The Great Charter only ceased to apply in 1993, when Parliament enacted the Application of English Law Act to clarify which colonial laws were still part of Singapore law. Nonetheless, Magna Carta’s legacy in Singapore continues in a number of ways. Principles such as due process of law and the supremacy of law are cornerstones of the rule of law, vital to the success, stability and …

Mediation Goes Global In Singapore, George S. C. Lim, Eunice Chua

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Singapore has positioned itself as an international dispute resolution hub in Asia by providing a complete suite of services for international arbitration, international litigation and mediation through the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”), the Singapore International Commercial Court (“SICC”) and the Singapore International Mediation Centre (“SIMC”). SICC and SIMC build on Singapore’s reputation for quality legal services, including its status as the most preferred seat of arbitration in Asia and the third most preferred seat of arbitration in the world.[1] They bring more options to parties facing cross-border disputes who need tailored solutions that meet their needs.

Singapore: Reflecting On The Development Of The Domestic Mediation Scene, Eunice Chua

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Amidst all the attention that Singapore has attracted as an international dispute resolution hubwith the recent launches of the Singapore International Mediation Centre (“SIMC”), SingaporeInternational Mediation Institute (“SIMI”) and the Singapore International Commercial Court,it is appropriate to pause to reflect on how far the domestic mediation scene has come in orderto support these global ambitions.

Von Fischen Im Wasser Und Andere Mediationserzählungen [Of Fish In Water And Other Mediation Stories] (In German), Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This essay offers an international and cross-cultural perspective on mediation. It builds on the contributions to this journal issue and extends the conversation to include (1) the role of culture in mediations models and (2) the taboo topic of directive, evaluative approaches. After reviewing various taxonomies of mediation models, the author’s mediation meta model is used as a framework to analyze diverse approaches of mediation including those presented in this issue. Historical-cultural perspectives provide further layers of depth and nuance that thicken the already complex storylines of the human mediation narrative. If mediation is to succeed in attaining truly global …

The Singapore Legal System, Eugene K. B. Tan, Gary Kok Yew Chan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Singapore legal system is a rich tapestry of laws, institutions, values, history and culture. Like the Singapore-made quilt, each strand of the legal system is woven together to form a jurisprudential kaleidoscope bounded by a unique national identity.

The legal system will inevitably undergo tension as socio-economic and politico-legal changes unfold with increased globalisation and regionalisation. Thus, Singapore has to respond swiftly and deftly in creating new laws and institutions or adapting existing ones.

In this regard, Singapore is and has been ready and willing to learn from the legal developments taking place in foreign jurisdictions with similar aspirations. …

Lucky To Be Singaporean, Ee-Ing Ong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Op-ed about being Singaporean, in our historic 2015 elections.

"In the midst of our historic elections, I would like to remind Singaporeans that there remains a wider world out there. That our concerns about CPF money, high housing prices, rising income inequality, foreign workers, transportation woes, and the AHPETC saga, while important, are nonetheless First World problems. We have the luxury of arguing about them because we don’t have to worry about the fundamental problems of survival. Literally.

Thus, as we consider what we would like our country to look like in the coming years, I suggest that we first …

Breach Of Agreement Versus Vexatious, Oppressive And Unconscionable Conduct: Clarifying Their Relationship In The Law Of Anti-Suit Injunctions, Wei Yao, Kenny Chng

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Cases warranting the grant of an anti-suit injunction can be divided into three main categories: breach of agreement, vexatious, oppressive, or unconscionable conduct, and abuse of process. A series of Singapore cases have demonstrated that the boundaries between the first two categories are ambiguous in Singapore law. This ambiguity reflects a lack of clarity about the principles underlying anti-suit injunctions and creates uncertainty as to the applicable analysis for each category. This article argues that the two categories should be distinct in kind, with both categories remaining part of the court’s equitable jurisdiction. Such an approach will provide a good …

Assessment Of Damages In Intellectual Property Cases: Some Recent Examples Of "The Exercise Of A Sound Imagination And The Practice Of A Broad Axe"?, Gordon Ionwy David Llewelyn

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

There are few cases outside the US that deal with the assessment of damages for infringement of intellectual property rights. When they do, as Lord Shaw said: “[It involves] the exercise of a sound imagination and the practice of the broad axe.” This article discusses decisions where the infringer has ended up paying at the low end of what it would have paid as a legitimate user. One of the fundamental rights of the owner of an intellectual property right is the freedom to decide if others can use it, so the courts’ concern to avoid high awards can mean …

Recent Developments In International Mediation: Singapore’S Unique Approach, Josephine Hadikusumo, Eunice Chua

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Singapore’s vibrant dispute resolution sector has been growing on the back of a significant rise in commercial transactions in Asia and a corresponding increase in the number and complexity of cross-border disputes. In particular, Singapore has achieved significant success in the field of international arbitration. Singapore has been recognised as the third most preferred seat of arbitration, after London and Geneva, and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) is the fourth most preferred arbitral institution worldwide despite being a relatively young institution. In recent years, Singapore law firms have also ranked amongst the top international arbitration practices in Asia.In order …

Why Ahpetc Is A National Issue In 2015, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

With tomorrow being the last day of the hustings, the battle for the hearts and minds of 2.46 million Singaporean voters takes on greater urgency and poignancy. Any misstep by the nine political parties and their candidates at this late stage might well be game changing.

Some Thoughts On A Record-Breaking 2014/15 Season For Singapore’S International Mooters, Siyuan Chen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Singapore has an extremely proud tradition in international moot court competitions. The famous NUS’82 team which won Singapore’s first Jessup championship comprised members who have all gone on to become Senior Counsel; one is now a High Court Judge (Steven Chong) and another, the Attorney-General (VK Rajah). Videos of championship finals featuring Singapore mooters continue to be used as training tools by universities all over the world, especially the 2001 Jessup final featuring the first and only person to have ever won the two largest moots, the Jessup and the Vis. And in that same year (2001), NUS won arguably …

Misconduct And The Division Of Matrimonial Assets: Clarification From The Court Of Appeal Chan Tin Sun V Fong Quay Sim [2015] Sgca 2, Siyuan Chen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

Restitution [2014], Man Yip

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

Of Links And Legal Merits: Good Faith In The Statutory Derivative Action In Singapore, Pearlie M. C. Koh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

An applicant for leave to bring a statutory derivative action in Singapore is required to satisfy the court as to, inter alia, his good faith. Although the statutory language places the burden of doing so on the applicant, Singapore courts have tended to assume the presence of good faith if the claim is a legitimate one. This approach, which denigrates the requirement of good faith, was recently disapproved by the Singapore Court of Appeal. This notwithstanding, subsequent cases have reverted to the earlier position, casting doubt on the utility of the requirement. This paper considers good faith, and argues that …

Restitution [2014], Man Yip

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

Killing New Vistas With The Over-Regulation Of Recreational 'Drone' Use, Siyuan Chen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In the last few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of remote-controlled copters – often given the convenient but misleading epithets of unmanned aerial vehicles or “drones” – by recreational users to capture aerial photographs and videos on an unprecedented scale. Asia is no exception. The convergence of cutting-edge technological developments in gyroscopic gimbals, long-range wireless transmissions, GPS-enabled stabilisation, GPS-enabled flightpath-preprogramming, first-person-views, and compact digital imaging has led to the proliferation of affordable camera-carrying “drones” that even hobbyists can pilot with reasonable safety. Thus far, despite purported controversies there have not been any reports of serious …

Hague Convention On Choice Of Court Agreements 2005: A Singapore Perspective, Tiong Min Yeo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

When Singapore joined the Hague Conference on 9 April 2014, it was widely anticipated that it would adopt the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements 2005. This article explores the differences between the Convention regime and the common law position in Singapore, the likely effects of the adoption of the Convention under Singapore law, as well as the considerations that are likely to influence Singapore's approach to the adoption of the Convention.

Drug Traffickers' Deaths: Criticisms Of Laws Not All Fair, S. Chandra Mohan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This is a comment on the western media frenzy over the executions of eight drug traffickers in Indonesia. The commentary looks at whether the anguish over the executions following a conviction and appeals to higher courts in accordance with Indonesian law, apart fromn the loss of life,was well placed.

Good Faith: Helping Commercial Parties Or Creating An Unnecessary Burden?, Ee-Ing Ong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

One of the challenges facing Asian legal systems in the coming years is whether the courts should impose a general duty of good faith in contracts. The doctrine of good faith has been making inroads in various common law jurisdictions, most recently in Canada where the Supreme Court held in Bhasin v. Hrynew, 2014 SCC 71 that there was a duty of honest performance in all contracts. The idea behind imposing a duty of good faith in all contracts is to ensure that parties essentially “play fair” in contract negotiations and/or performance. However, is such a duty really necessary for …

Mediation, Seng Onn Loong, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The mediation movement in Singapore was actively revived in the 1990s. Currently, mediation is not only used for private disputes but forms an integral part of the Singapore legal system. It is widely used as a mechanism of dispute resolution in courts, government departments, businesses and other specific industries.

Does The Obligation To Obtain The Consent Of A Third Party Extend To Taking Further Steps After Rejection?, Yihan Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The question posed in the Court of Appeal case of The One Suites Pte Ltd v Pacific Motor Credit (Pte) Ltd [2015] SGCA 21 (“The One Suites”) was whether an obligation to use all reasonable endeavours to obtain the consent of a third party extends to taking further steps after the third party had refused to give such consent. To this, the Court, with Andrew Phang Boon Leong JA writing its grounds of decision, answered, “it depends but largely no”. More precisely, the Court said that while there almost invariably will be an implied obligation to use all reasonable endeavours …

Free Trade Agreements: Singapore Legal Developments, Locknie Hsu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Singapore has entered into a number of bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with its trading partners. These FTAs vary in scope and commitments. As a result, Singapore’s legal environment and laws have seen some changes. Many of these changes would interest those who do business with or invest in Singapore. While this section does not attempt to provide comprehensive information on all changes resulting from treaty commitments, it highlights salient changes for those trading or investing in Singapore. The developments highlighted here include changes made to Singapore legislation, as well as legal commitments made by Singapore as a result of …

East Asian Trusts At The Crossroads, Ying Chieh Wu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The purpose of this article is to scrutinize the legal structure of trusts in Japan, SouthKorea and Taiwan. The so-called infrastructure of the private law of these jurisdictions is rooted in theRoman-Germanic basis, which adopts dichotomous system in respect of that area of privatelaw dealing with property: the law of property and that of obligation. However,the adoption of the trust has caused some problems. Though controversial, thecontract-based view seems to be the majority view in the East Asian civiljurisdictions, yet the property-based view dominates the commonlaw world. However, being influenced by common law, the property-approach isalso asserted by some commentators …

Whither The Future Of Internet Streaming And Time-Shifting? Revisiting The Rights Of Reproduction And Communication To The Public In Copyright Law After Aereo, Cheng Lim Saw, Warren B. Chik

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

New forms of communication technology often pose challenges to the copyright regime and have necessitated the rewriting of the scope of the exclusive rights and exceptions by the legislature, and, in some cases, by the courts in common law countries (as well as the Court of Justice of the European Union). These issues have arisen in different categories of digital technology, albeit with the same objective of streamlining and simplifying the delivery of copyright works to consumers. These categories include file storage and transfer operations offered by Peer-to-Peer technology, the space- and time-shifting functions of the early video and audio …

Case Comment: Golden Season Pte Ltd And Others V Kairos Singapore Holdings Pte Ltd And Another [2015] Sghc 38, Gary Kok Yew Chan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This 111-page judgement has highlighted a number of significant points of law relating to the treatment of Facebook postings, emails and SMS texts in the tort of defamation. They relate primarily to the legal requirements of establishing defamatory meaning, reference to the plaintiff and defences. In addition, the case examines the awards of general and special damages as well as the viability of awarding aggravated damages to corporate plaintiffs. Apart from the plaintiff’s actions in defamation and malicious falsehood, the defendant successfully counterclaimed for copyright infringement but failed in the action based on passing off. This brief case comment focuses …

Liberalizing Trade In Legal Services Under Asia-Pacific Ftas: The Asean Case, Pasha L. Hsieh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The article examines the liberalization of trade in legal services in the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its reform prospects to meet the challenges of multi-jurisdictional practice. It argues that while the ten-country bloc pledges to progressively liberalize the legal sector, ASEAN commitments under free trade agreements (FTAs) constitute merely ‘paper commitments’. To achieve the goal of the ASEAN Economic Community to form a single market and production base, a feasible, incremental roadmap is imperative to integrate the legal services market. The article first analyzes the economic impact of foreign law firms on ASEAN’s legal capacity building …

Non-Delegable Duty Of Care: Woodland V Swimming Teachers Association And Beyond, Kee Yang Low

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The subject of non-delegable duty of care has troubled Judges and jurists alike. This article examines the recent Woodland case, where the UK Supreme Court attempted to provide a comprehensive and coherent legal framework.

Foreign Precedents In Constitutional Adjudication By The Supreme Court Of Singapore, 1963-2013, Jack Tsen-Ta Lee

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article surveys the use of foreign precedents in constitutional adjudication by the Supreme Court of Singapore for over a half century during the terms of the first three Chief Justices—Wee Chong Jin (1963–1990), Yong Pung How (1990–2006), and Chan Sek Keong (2006–2012)—and the first year in office of the fourth Chief Justice, Sundaresh Menon (2012–2013). It concludes that while judges have always cited foreign case law, they have only actually applied foreign cases where the wording of the Constitution and the constitutional arrangements in Singapore are fairly analogous to the constitutional texts and arrangements upon which the cases were …