The pirates of modern Singapore threaten to undermine the international trade of copyrighted works. Advancements in technology have facilitated the inexpensive reproduction of books, audio and video cassettes, and computer programs. Printing, video, and audio pirates have found Singapore well suited to the unauthorized copying of protected works. Literature and music reproduced in Singapore has found its way to markets throughout the world. To persuade Singapore to protect intellectual property, United States and British business organizations, the United States government, and the governing bodies of international intellectual property conventions have proposed measures ranging from educational programs to economic reprisals. Still, introducing copyright protection into Singapore is more than a question of legal cooperation. Ending piracy in Singapore raises the larger question of whether the western legal principle of protecting intellectual property can be imposed on a developing country which has a great economic interest in nonobservance.
