Ex-radio deejay Daniel Ong: I’ve been in the media for 20 years, why now?

The next time SPH wants to interview you, please ask if you need to pay for anything first.  I doubt you would want to receive an invoice for sharing news about yourself.  You want also want them to explain the copyrights law to you prior to accepting the interview and make them sign an agreement to allow you to use the article about yourself. 

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Source: Ex-radio deejay Daniel Ong: I’ve been in the media for 20 years, why now?

Former radio deejay-cum-successful entrepreneur Daniel Ong says he was "shocked" when he was asked to pay copyright fees to Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).

Speaking to Yahoo! Singapore on Sunday, the 36-year-old said, "Jaime and I have been in the media for over 20 years, we've always shared stories they wrote about us."

Ong, a Perfect 10 deejay and television host earlier in his career, quit radio in 2010. He and his wife, 2001 Miss Universe Jaime Teo, whom he married in 2007, now run a successful cupcake business called Twelve Cupcakes. Launched last year, it now has four outlets.

After he was approached and granted several interviews to The Straits Times and The New Paper, he was shocked when asked to pay copyright fees amounting to about $3,000 for reproducing the published articles on his cupcake business on his company website and social media accounts.

Even after volunteering to take down the said articles, Ong was still told to pay S$214 as "investigation fee" for legal costs incurred by SPH.

The incident has left a bitter taste in his mouth and he is now campaigning for greater transparency about the issue of copyright claims on behalf of other celebrities and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Ong said many friends, even strangers, had approached them to share similar experiences since he recounted his experience on Facebook on Thursday. They also told him that SPH "never went after them for the S$214" after they took down the infringing articles, even though they were also billed an "investigation fee".
He also clarified that he and his wife are still on good terms with several SPH journalists after they explained to him it is another department in charge of copyright claims.

But is he worried about being blacklisted by the publisher then?

"It's alright," Ong shared. "We were celebrities, but that's not our livelihood anymore."

"Not everyone reads the papers nowadays, they're not the only way news can get out. I dare say Mr Brown and Xiaxue combined will be equivalent to their readership."

Added Ong, "It's a changing world, and I hope that they see that as well."