Red, White, and Rights: A Look at Intellectual Property in Singapore

Did you know that the word MERLION is trademarked by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB)?

The STB also owns the copyright on the Merlion Symbol and the adorable Merli character mascot. They have been put to good use in promoting the Singapore brand to tourists. Read more here.

For our local SMEs, the company logo and mascot are the faces of your business. Much like how the STB manages the Merlion to ensure the Singapore brand stays consistent, having a clear trademark strategy ensures that customers always know who they are buying from. Is your brand identity secured and fully protected?

Can National Day songs be copyrighted?

Every year, there is always a robust discussion in the community about the latest National Day song. In 2026, there were not just one, but three songs officially commissioned for the National Day Parade celebrations.

Have a listen here.

There are also various unofficial national day songs written by many creative musicians and performed by local arts groups. The prevalence of social media platforms aids in the rapid sharing of these videos, which is a boon in raising awareness of the local performing arts scene. 

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has in recent years assisted with promoting the local creative scene further. Here is a podcast which showcases some local up-and-coming musicians and how they protected their IP rights.

The Singapore Copyright Act covers not only the lyrics of a composed song, but also the sound recordings of the song, as well as the performance of the song. Although it is not compulsory to do so, musicians are encouraged to register their works with the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS), which can assist with the collection of royalties. Please read here for more information.

It is a common misconception that businesses without creative primary offerings need not concern themselves with copyright matters. In practice, intellectual property is generated routinely—whether through commercial jingles, social media audio tracks, or website marketing copy. Establishing a clear understanding of proprietary rights and maintaining strict compliance with third-party copyrights are essential operational practices to mitigate legal risks when developing corporate content assets.

Do patents play a part in Singapore’s future developments?

At this year’s National Day Rally, the Prime Minister announced several forward-looking developments that will continue to bring the country forward:

1. Building of coalitions for safer use of A.I. agents; continued encouragement of A.I. tools to improve workplace efficiencies (including in the healthcare industries) and streamline users’ work-life balance needs.

2. Ride-hailing autonomous vehicle services to be expanded following successful trials.

3. Amalgamation of several clusters of Singapore’s offshore islands through land reclamation; potential for water taxis for tourists to access the enhanced Sentosa-Brani “Downtown South” resort. 

Did you know that these exciting developments are made possible because of Singapore’s robust patent innovation landscape? Auriga IP has been proud to assist our clients with securing early priority rights for their A.I. inventions, as well as ride-hailing apps and even electric marine vessels that run with zero emissions. Many of these patent applications were drafted and filed long ahead of the official product launches, thus enabling their owners to have an edge over their competitors. 

As Singapore celebrates its National Day, it is clear that intellectual property is woven into the very fabric of our national identity. From the iconic Merlion and the melodies of our national songs, to the future promise of Singapore-origin technological advancements, intellectual property is essential to our country’s growth. Looking ahead, Singapore’s commitment to advancing A.I. agents, autonomous ride-hailing services, and major infrastructure projects like the Downtown South resort underscores the critical role of innovation in our future. At Auriga IP, we celebrate this spirit of progress and remain dedicated to helping our clients secure the patents and intellectual property rights that power these advancements.