Dentons Rodyk Dialogue 2021 November 8, 2021 Singapore: The Dentons Rodyk Dialogue 2021 marked the fifth year of partnership between the firm and the Singapore Management University’s (“SMU”) Centre for Commercial Law in Asia (CCLA). This year, the Dialogue was conducted in a hybrid fashion, involving a small group of attendees at a physical venue as well as virtual attendees and speakers. The Dialogue focused on the topic of how sustainability and innovation could be a strategic response to crises, such as those posed by the current ongoing pandemic.
No oral modification clauses: Perspectives from Singapore October 19, 2021 Singapore: No oral modification clauses (NOM clauses) are a common feature of commercial contracts. They seek to invalidate modifications to a contract unless they are made in writing. An enlarged five-judge coram of Singapore’s highest court (the Court of Appeal (SGCA)) has recently considered the vexed question of whether NOM clauses should be strictly applied. This update examines the SGCA’s decision and provides key takeaways.
The long and short of taking longer to pay - buy now, pay later schemes October 11, 2021 Singapore: Purchasing items on credit is not a new idea, with its origins dating back to around 5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. In our modern context, there are a variety of consumer credit instruments available. These include short term and “payday” loans, 0% instalment plans and overdrafts offered by banks and lines of credit offered by merchants, not forgetting the most prolific form of purchasing on credit – the ubiquitous credit card.
The mRNA approach to competition law compliance in the WFH era September 28, 2021 Singapore: Even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and its ultimate toll is yet to be decided, one consequence of the pandemic is set to become permanent – the Work From Home (WFH) arrangement. What was initially perceived as a stopgap measure is now accepted as an enduring legacy of COVID-19, carrying with it various benefits and challenges – not least in the area of competition law compliance. Increasingly, businesses bemoan the lack of oversight of their employees’ activities as they operate from home – where business meetings (including with competitors) are more likely done in neighbourhood cafes and even in the comfort of their own homes.
The Road Ahead - Singapore’s Intellectual Property Strategy 2030 (Japanese) September 15, 2021 Singapore: On this year’s World Intellectual Property Day, the IP Office of Singapore (IPOS) announced the Singapore Intellectual Property Strategy 2030 (SIPS 2030), built on Singapore’s 2013 IP Hub Master Plan (and 2017 updates). SIPS 2030 aims to maintain Singapore’s position as a top-ranked IP regime by ensuring a conducive environment for businesses to protect, manage and transact their intangible assets and intellectual property (IA/IP). SIPS 2030 consists of three inter-linked thrusts, namely to strengthen Singapore’s position as a global hub for IA/IP, attract and grow innovative enterprises using IA/IP and develop good jobs and valuable skills in IA/IP. This article highlights some initiatives, revealed during the recent IP Week @ SG 2021, which are intended to support this strategy.
Usurping a maturing business opportunity carried out by a subsidiary – can a director of its holding company be held liable? September 15, 2021 Singapore: Can a director of a holding company be held in breach of his fiduciary duties owed to the company if he usurps a maturing business opportunity pursued by the company through the activities of its wholly-owned subsidiary? This question was answered in the affirmative by the General Division of the Singapore High Court in OOPA Pte Ltd v Bui Sy Phong [2021] SGHC 142 (OOPA) after considering the issues of separate legal personality and the proper plaintiff rule.
Foodtech: The sustainable future of food in Singapore September 15, 2021 Singapore: In the words of (the late) Anthony Bourdain, “Singapore is possibly the most food-centric place on Earth, with the most enthusiastic diners, the most varied and abundant dishes…” It is therefore fitting that Singapore has emerged as the food technology (foodtech) hub in Asia, with several leading startups in the foodtech field headquartered here. As a world first, Singapore is the only country in the world that has approved lab-grown chicken meat for sale (in 2020, regulators in Singapore gave their approval to Eat Just Inc., a San-Francisco-based startup, to publicly sell their lab-grown cultured chicken meat in the form of chicken nuggets).
The Road Ahead - Singapore’s Intellectual Property Strategy 2030 September 3, 2021 Singapore: On this year’s World Intellectual Property Day, the IP Office of Singapore (IPOS) announced the Singapore Intellectual Property Strategy 2030 (SIPS 2030), built on Singapore’s 2013 IP Hub Master Plan (and 2017 updates). SIPS 2030 aims to maintain Singapore’s position as a top-ranked IP regime by ensuring a conducive environment for businesses to protect, manage and transact their intangible assets and intellectual property (IA/IP). SIPS 2030 consists of three inter-linked thrusts, namely to strengthen Singapore’s position as a global hub for IA/IP, attract and grow innovative enterprises using IA/IP and develop good jobs and valuable skills in IA/IP. This article highlights some initiatives, revealed during the recent IP Week @ SG 2021, which are intended to support this strategy.
SPAC – Singapore’s Placing Another Choice September 6, 2021 Singapore: The Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST) is the first bourse in Asia to allow special-purpose acquisition companies (SPAC) to be listed. The interest in SPACs became significant at about the time the COVID-19 surfaced and now in Singapore, conditions for a SPAC listing on the SGX-ST have now finally been cast by way of amendments to the SGX-ST Mainboard Rules effective 3 September 2021.
CIZ v CJA - A case note of the High Court’s latest decision on excess of jurisdiction by tribunals July 30, 2021 Singapore: The General Division of the Singapore High Court recently issued CIZ v CJA [2021] SGHC 178, where Senior Partner Ajinderpal Singh and Senior Associate John Paul Koh successfully acted in the setting aside of an SIAC arbitral award on grounds that the arbitral tribunal exceeded its jurisdiction.