Asia IP, December 7, 2021

By Espie Angelica A. de Leon

The exception for computational data analysis is one of the key changes in Singapore’s Copyright Act 2021, making it one of the few pieces of legislation in the world with such exception. It allows sharing of the works to verify the results of the computational data analysis, for collaborative research or study. This goes beyond most similar exceptions in other jurisdictions, according to Christian Troncoso, senior director, policy, BSA | The Software Alliance, a trade group representing commercial software makers and member of the International Intellectual Property Alliance.

“The computational data analysis exception is a game changer because it provides much-needed legal clarity for organizations that are developing AI. The incredible advances in AI capabilities we’ve seen in recent years have been enabled by machine learning. At its core, machine learning involves the computational analysis of large data sets to identify correlations and patterns that can be used to make predictions about future data inputs. Many of the most promising applications of machine learning – including computer vision and natural language processing -- rely on training data that may be subject to copyright protection, so the exception helps resolve a source of uncertainty for the Singaporean AI research and development community,” said Troncoso.

“Countries around the world are racing to create policy environments that will enable their economies to reap the full benefits of AI. We are seeing a growing global awareness that modernizing existing copyright laws is a key piece of the puzzle. In passing a standalone exception to explicitly permit reproductions for the purpose of data analysis, Singapore has joined a small but growing list of countries. Given Asia’s fast-growing digital economy, our hope is that other countries will soon join Singapore in seeking to provide legal clarity for their AI research communities,” said Troncoso.

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Original Posting: https://asiaiplaw.com/article/computational-data-analysis-exception-in-singapores-copyright-act-2021-a-game-changer