Back in 1996, a Sub-Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law recommended comprehensive reform of the law of security interests.1 The suggested model for reform was Article 9 of the U.S. Uniform Commercial Code as refined in other common law jurisdictions.2 New Zealand enacted similar reforms in 1999 with the new legislation coming into force in 2002.3 2002 also saw the publication of a report by the Law Commission in England which advocated Article 9 type legislation in England.4 The question arises whether the 1996 report by the Singapore Academy Sub-Committee should be dusted down and whether the law should proceed along the reform path. This paper will consider the arguments for and against reform as well as some of the potential pitfalls in enacting reforming legislation.

This article examines the patentability of genetically engineered higher life forms in Canada and Singapore by reference to the recent decision of the Canadian Supreme Court on the patentability of a genetically engineered laboratory mouse. The Canadian Supreme Court, rather than examining the policy behind patent protection, addressed this question primarily through the lens of statutory interpretation. This article discusses the reasoning of the Canadian Supreme Court and considers its application in Singapore.

This article explores whether restrictions on alienations of native title land, such as the inability to grant a mortgage to secure finance, will adversely affect the owners of native title land. The objections to inalienability are explored and some of the premises that such objections rest upon are also questioned. Arguments in favour of inalienability are also explored and reasons why restrictions on alienation will not be detrimental are canvassed. Finally, some practical considerations are overviewed, leading to a conclusion that the restrictions in themselves will not be detrimental.

This article discusses recent developments in the law of co-ownership in Singapore, especially in relation to the doctrine of severance. In particular, the amendments to the law of co-ownership introduced by the Land Titles (Amendment) Act 2001 are considered. While the legislation appears at first sight to effect only technical amendments to the law, it has in fact made a significant change to the law of severance.

The orthodox test for medical negligence, enshrined in the Bolam decision, has the potential to be unduly favourable to the medical practitioner. The doctor–centric approach it engenders is particularly troubling with respect to the duty to inform and does not bode well for a healthy balance in the doctor–patient relationship. It is argued that the Bolam test as currently applied is inappropriate and that courts have a responsibility to reassert their role as the final arbiters in determining medical negligence. This article seeks to strike a balance between the interests of medical practitioners and patients; the former should not be vilified for human errors that include negligence while the latter should not be deprived of fair compensation and certain fundamental rights.

Digital technology, and particularly the Internet, is reducing the cost of publishing works, but has also made the unauthorised copying and distributing of works virtually costless. Despite the level of harmonisation of copyright laws worldwide, achieved through the Berne Convention, the TRIPs Agreement and WIPO Copyright Treaty, such copyright infringements on the Internet still give rise to a number of relevant conflict of laws issues. This article focuses on the analysis of the applicable law rules provided under the Berne Convention in relation to economic and moral rights in the light of the various technical scenarios of copyright infringement in cyberspace. From this perspective, it also attempts to assess if and to what extent it is possible to attribute a new meaning to too often datable applicable law principles.