Legal Question in International Law in Singapore

Law on anti-establishment

I sell, on a part time basis, apparels bearing my own business logo.

The target markets are people like skateboarders, hip hoppers, and punks.

The unofficial slogan for my business in order to appeal to those target markets is ''The system sucks!!!''. The system in this case is the establishment. However, it is not my intention to overthrow or riots against any governments or anything. It is just a way to appeal to these markets in order to sell my apparel.

Therefore, the question is ''Is it legal for me to use that slogan or other similar slogans in order to appeal to my target markets in Singapore as well as other countries?''

Thank you.


Asked on 6/28/03, 7:20 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Lawrence Graves Coolidge & Graves PLLC

Re: Law on anti-establishment

Not a problem in the United States, where we have constitutional guaranties of free expression. In others (e.g., North Korea), any criticism of the government might result in a sentence to hard labor for decades. You would have to inquire of counsel in a particular country (e.g., Singapore) to ascertain where the limite of protected speech might be.

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Answered on 6/29/03, 7:40 am
Charles Bayar Charles H. Bayar, Esq.

Re: Law on anti-establishment

I practice international trade law, I have lived in the Third World, and my daughter is a punk rocker. No problem in the U.S. and other developed countries with modest free-speeach protections (e.g. Japan, which has a small but vigorous punk community). Elsewhere (e.g. Singapore, Middle East, China), such slogans publically exposed on paper, apparel, or anything else will likely be deemed offensive and/or seditious (nothwithstanding your subjective opinion to the contrary). If you're not physically in such countries & don't go there, then you're not likely to be extradited for criminal sanctions. Most likely, however, your offending goods will be seized and destroyed and your distributors -- as well as any person wearing your slogan -- will be sanctioned. Be VERY careful.

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Answered on 6/29/03, 10:54 am


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