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TwitterSunday, October 17, 2010
"Fixing" the troublesome Singapore's Tumasek Review
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Those following the predictable events in Singapore when Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorship goes after his opposition would have read by now, about the trouble the blog Tumasek Review which often writes in unflattering terms about the Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew and his dictatorship is facing.
Lee's government wants the name of the blog to be changed to something else because they allege the name Tumasek Review is too similar to their Tumasek Holdings, a state wealth management fund, and therefore the public is misled and their their interests are hurt.
By the way, to call Tumasek Holdings a state wealth management fund is itself a misnomer, since it is in reality the private company of the Lee Kuan Yew family to enrich themselves through the people's forced savings, but that story is for another time. By the way this sort of activity is called theft in other places.
Coming back to the demand by the Lee Kuan Yew dictatorship to Tumasek Review, this is seen by most Singaporeans who know what Lee Kuan Yew and his government are, just a one party city state, as another instance of "fixing" the opposition as Lee Kuan Yew's son honestly, albeit unwittingly admitted at the last general elections.
"Fixing" is done Singapore style, by abusing the legal system through corrupt judges and the Attorney Generals office to punish and destroy his political opponents. This latest attack is another instance of that shameful predictable pattern.
I am not an Intellectual Property lawyer and this issue comes directly within it, namely copyright law; to that extent this article is wanting. However my general understanding of copyright law is this. No one can claim any propriety rights under a general word, such as Lion City, which is also another name for Tumasek. So I don't think they can demand under the law that your name be changed, since Tumasek is just another name for Singapore and it does not and cannot belong to anybody.
For instance no one can claim a propriety interest to the word "Global" for instance. So if someone was using the name Global Computers, he cannot stop another from using the name Global Toothpicks, since they are both totally different and distinguishable.
Second, even if a special name is generally used by a certain entity, Tumasek Holdings, it does not prevent another user of the name Tumasek to use it in terms which are completely different from the other. As an example, Soni is the Japanese company producing electrical goods. We all know that. But if there is a Soni Dry Cleaner at the corner of Norris Road and Serangoon Road run by my friend Wong Can Do, this would not be considered an infringement, since anyone can distinguish Soni Japanese from Wong Can Do's Soni Dry Cleaner.
So in this case, even if Tumasek Holdings can argue that people think of it when the word Tumasek is used, Tumasek Holdings is a business while Tumasek Review is a blog. This in my view cannot be an infringement since sufficient differentiation has been made.
On the other hand we are in Singapore and not dealing with Common Law but Lee Kuan Yew's law where a Marxist Conspiracy can be plucked out of thin air and 22 people can be imprisoned in solitary confinement for several years in 1988 just for agitating for democratic change. In this instance, all they have to do is to unleash Lee Kuan Yew's ever willing judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean and Tumasek will be the same as Gopalan Nair or anything they want.
I don't think even the best Intellectual Property lawyer in the world can predict anything in Singapore, and moreover, even he may be imprisoned at short notice.
I am sure any lawyer dealing with Intellectual Property Law reading this and would want to take the trouble of telling Lee Kuan Yew and his son a thing or two by please polishing this article, where necessary, you are very welcome.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Those following the predictable events in Singapore when Lee Kuan Yew's dictatorship goes after his opposition would have read by now, about the trouble the blog Tumasek Review which often writes in unflattering terms about the Singapore strongman Lee Kuan Yew and his dictatorship is facing.
Lee's government wants the name of the blog to be changed to something else because they allege the name Tumasek Review is too similar to their Tumasek Holdings, a state wealth management fund, and therefore the public is misled and their their interests are hurt.
By the way, to call Tumasek Holdings a state wealth management fund is itself a misnomer, since it is in reality the private company of the Lee Kuan Yew family to enrich themselves through the people's forced savings, but that story is for another time. By the way this sort of activity is called theft in other places.
Coming back to the demand by the Lee Kuan Yew dictatorship to Tumasek Review, this is seen by most Singaporeans who know what Lee Kuan Yew and his government are, just a one party city state, as another instance of "fixing" the opposition as Lee Kuan Yew's son honestly, albeit unwittingly admitted at the last general elections.
"Fixing" is done Singapore style, by abusing the legal system through corrupt judges and the Attorney Generals office to punish and destroy his political opponents. This latest attack is another instance of that shameful predictable pattern.
I am not an Intellectual Property lawyer and this issue comes directly within it, namely copyright law; to that extent this article is wanting. However my general understanding of copyright law is this. No one can claim any propriety rights under a general word, such as Lion City, which is also another name for Tumasek. So I don't think they can demand under the law that your name be changed, since Tumasek is just another name for Singapore and it does not and cannot belong to anybody.
For instance no one can claim a propriety interest to the word "Global" for instance. So if someone was using the name Global Computers, he cannot stop another from using the name Global Toothpicks, since they are both totally different and distinguishable.
Second, even if a special name is generally used by a certain entity, Tumasek Holdings, it does not prevent another user of the name Tumasek to use it in terms which are completely different from the other. As an example, Soni is the Japanese company producing electrical goods. We all know that. But if there is a Soni Dry Cleaner at the corner of Norris Road and Serangoon Road run by my friend Wong Can Do, this would not be considered an infringement, since anyone can distinguish Soni Japanese from Wong Can Do's Soni Dry Cleaner.
So in this case, even if Tumasek Holdings can argue that people think of it when the word Tumasek is used, Tumasek Holdings is a business while Tumasek Review is a blog. This in my view cannot be an infringement since sufficient differentiation has been made.
On the other hand we are in Singapore and not dealing with Common Law but Lee Kuan Yew's law where a Marxist Conspiracy can be plucked out of thin air and 22 people can be imprisoned in solitary confinement for several years in 1988 just for agitating for democratic change. In this instance, all they have to do is to unleash Lee Kuan Yew's ever willing judge Belinda Ang Saw Ean and Tumasek will be the same as Gopalan Nair or anything they want.
I don't think even the best Intellectual Property lawyer in the world can predict anything in Singapore, and moreover, even he may be imprisoned at short notice.
I am sure any lawyer dealing with Intellectual Property Law reading this and would want to take the trouble of telling Lee Kuan Yew and his son a thing or two by please polishing this article, where necessary, you are very welcome.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
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