Copyright registration for music, film, and design
A single song carries more than one copyright. The composition is one. The sound recording, the master, is another. Performance rights run on a third track. Under Singapore's Copyright Act each can be owned, assigned, or licensed on its own. Registration and records decide who gets paid when a work crosses borders or formats.
Three rights in one song
The composition, the melody and lyrics as written, is one copyright. The sound recording, the specific performance captured in the studio, is a separate copyright known as the master. Performance rights track who gets paid when the song plays on radio, in a venue, or through a streaming service, and that income runs through the composition and the recording on two separate tracks. Under the Copyright Act, each right can be owned or assigned separately. Who holds each record decides where the money goes.
Designs and the records behind them
For a logo or a product's look, registered designs and copyright add further layers over a trademark. Film works raise the same practical questions about records and ownership. Registration gaps, an unregistered work, a missing reciprocal agreement, or an outdated ownership record, are the most common reason royalties go uncollected. Singapore recognises the international treaties it has joined, which extends baseline protection to works first published in most treaty countries. Keeping the records current is the practical work.