There are no immediate plans to propose a law that would cut off Internet access for Singaporean users who receive repeated warnings from their Internet service providers for downloading pirated music and videos, according to the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS).
"IPOS is not considering the introduction of such laws at the moment. Few countries have introduced such measures, and we will continue to monitor how these evolve before considering any such introduction here," IPOS spokeswoman Clara Wee wrote in an e-mail on Monday.
IPOS acts as a regulatory body and also advises government policy makers. The so-called "three-strikes" law is one of several international copyright issues that the agency is monitoring, Wee said.
Last Wednesday, the Straits Times newspaper reported Singaporean authorities were studying such a law as a tool to fight piracy. At that time, IPOS did not respond to phone and e-mail requests for comment.
"Three-strikes" laws have been proposed as a way to deter music and video piracy in the U.K., France and New Zealand, where they have stirred controversy and opposition from both governments and courts. None of these countries has yet adopted such a law.
Last month, South Korea became the first country to implement a three-strikes law, although it was not immediately clear whether anyone has lost their Internet access because of the new law.
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