Singapore's Ministry of Law and Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) launched a public consultation on Aug 26 to gather feedback on how copyright and patent laws should evolve in response to artificial intelligence. The consultation comes as courts in the US and elsewhere grapple with lawsuits from authors, artists, and publishers who say tech companies trained AI models on their work without permission or payment.
Minister for Law Edwin Tong announced the consultation at the Global Forum on Intellectual Property, held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre during Singapore IP Week. The submission deadline is 5pm on Oct 22, and details are available at go.gov.sg/ai-ip2026.
Courts are split on AI training and fair use
Overseas courts have reached different conclusions on whether using copyrighted works to train AI without permission constitutes infringement. In the US, a judge ruled that AI firm Anthropic must pay thousands of affected authors US$1.5 billion (S$1.9 billion) for using millions of pirated e-books to train its Claude chatbot without consent or payment.
But the same judge found that Anthropic did not infringe copyright when it trained its AI by scanning pages sliced from old physical books the company had bought, then destroyed and recycled. The court found the destructive scanning was transformative and qualified as fair use of purchased books, including rare and out-of-print titles.
Tong said the question of whether copyrighted works can legally be used to train AI will increasingly arise as AI becomes a more widely used creative tool, grows more powerful, and requires more content for training. "Courts and IP offices around the world broadly agree that an author must be a human being. But where do we draw the line? What kinds of acts or decisions made by human prompters demonstrate sufficient creativity?" he said.
Balancing innovation with creator rights
Tong said the government wants to promote innovation without stifling it, but the rights of creators need careful consideration. "It is not good in the long term if creative works can be used on a large scale by AI without a framework that considers the works' creation of facts," he said.
The rise in litigation suggests practical questions remain about how rights holders should protect their work if they do not want it used for AI training. Tong said technical measures may be part of the solution, but the government must then consider how to support rights holders with fewer resources. He said the government "will carefully study the global landscape, and consider an approach which gives us the right balance."
The consultation also seeks feedback on how existing principles on inventions should apply when AI is used in the invention process. For public sector professionals tracking how policy around AI and intellectual property develops, the AI for Government resource hub covers related regulatory and operational topics, and the AI Learning Path for Policy Makers offers structured guidance on the policy questions this consultation raises.
New guidelines for valuing intangible assets
Tong also announced guidelines on valuing intangible assets, developed by the Institute of Valuers and Appraisers Singapore with support from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, IPOS, and industry partners. The guidelines aim to build consistency and confidence in how such assets are valued.
Why this matters for government professionals
For those working in government, this consultation signals the direction of Singapore's IP policy on AI and offers a chance to shape it. The outcome will affect how public agencies use AI tools, commission creative work, and manage copyright risks in their own operations. Submissions are due by Oct 22, and the questions raised - about authorship, fair use, and technical protections - are likely to inform policy beyond Singapore as other jurisdictions watch how this consultation unfolds.
Your membership also unlocks:
