This highlights the key points from the Bill after its first reading in Parliament on 1 April 2019.

The key proposals include granting the SHC exclusive jurisdiction over most civil IP disputes, clarify that IP disputes can be arbitrated in Sg, formalise 3rd party observation process for patent, etc..

The practical effect is a significant increase in the pool of potential claimants against employers, and made it much easier for them to make claims against employers.

A VCC will be treated as a company and a single tax entity under the Income Tax Act, subject to such modifications and rules made under the Act.

The Bill aims to streamline regulation of payment services under a single legislation, and to expand the scope of regulated payment services to keep up with new technological developments and the various risks they pose.

In BVU v BVX [2019] SGHC 69, the SHC refused to set aside an arbitral award on the basis that the successful party made a decision not to call certain witnesses to give evidence and to disclose certain internal documents.

The update sets out the reasons for the CSCC decision, which include the following: the buyers and targets were not sufficently close competitors, available of substitutes, etc.

Following a 5-day trial where both matters were heard, the Magistrate’s Court dismissed both civil claims by the sisters.

In Koh Kim Teck, Smiling Sun Limited v Credit Suisse AG, Singapore Branch [2019] SGHC 82, the SHC found that there was no any investment advisory duty owed by the bank to its customer in either contract or tort.

The MEWR has identified three key waste streams to address in the Masterplan - food waste, electrical waste and packaging waste.

This provides key developments in trade related topics primarily across SEA incl. the palm oil issue, anti-circumvention laws, anti-dumping issues, managing of rules of origin given the new CPTPP etc..

The FinTech Fast Track nitiative facilitates a faster patent  application-to-grant process for FinTech inventions.

The forthcoming CIArb Guidelines for Witness Conferencing in International Arbitration provide a framwork for arbitrators, parties and experts to determine whether, and if so how, to conduct a successful conference.

Details include eligibility criteria and corresponding level of funding.

2019 has seen the issue of the first exploration permits in Myanmar since a 2016 moratorium was lifted in July 2018, reopening access to one of Southeast Asia’s final mining frontiers.

Myanmar’s long awaited Trade Mark Act has finally received the President’s assent at the end of January 2019.

This article will consider the benefits of TPF and how there are increased opportunities for both court litigation and arbitration funding in the Middle East, and in particular in the UAE.

FDIs in Myanmar rose by close to 45% to an estimated value of USD 4bn. Strong investments from the ASEAN region pushed this increase.

It brings together 11 economies from both sides of the Pacific and establishes Singapore’s first preferential trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.