Legal FAQs for Groundup Founders, in Plain English 💡

Possibly, yes. As an organiser you owe a duty of care to attendees and volunteers, and if you're negligent in planning or running the event, you can be held personally liable — even if your initiative isn't a registered company. Event insurance, safety briefings, and a simple risk log go a long way toward protecting you.

It means taking reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm — securing the venue, briefing volunteers, and having a plan for medical incidents. Courts ask what a reasonable organiser would have done in your shoes, not whether the event was perfect.

Start with a short written risk checklist for every event, get basic liability insurance where budget allows, use waivers for higher-risk activities, and keep records of what you briefed volunteers on. Consistency matters more than legal jargon.

Not automatically. Singapore law looks at the substance of the relationship — control, pay, and obligation to perform work — not the label "volunteer". Fixed hours, pay, and direction can tip someone into employee status, bringing in CPF and Employment Act obligations.

Foreign volunteers doing genuinely unpaid, voluntary work generally don't need a work pass — but the line blurs if the work resembles a job or they receive more than reimbursed expenses. Keep the arrangement clearly informal, or check with MOM.

You can be, especially if they were acting under your instructions or on your organisation's behalf. Brief volunteers clearly, supervise higher-risk tasks, and consider insurance that covers volunteer activity.

Copyright in original work (logos, copy, designs) usually belongs automatically to whoever created it — which could be a freelancer or volunteer, not your organisation, unless you have an agreement transferring it. Trade marks, patents, and registered designs work differently: they need active registration to be protected.

Copyright protects automatically once work is created — no registration needed. But your brand name and logo are only protected as a trade mark if registered with IPOS; otherwise someone else could register a similar mark first.

Start with a polite takedown request citing your ownership — many infringements are unintentional. If it continues, a formal cease-and-desist letter carries more weight. Keep dated records of your original work as evidence.

Not necessarily for a one-off collection, but ongoing or public solicitation of donations is regulated under the Charities Act and Fund-Raising Appeals Act — larger or recurring appeals typically need a permit or charity registration. Check your specific activity against IPC requirements first.

Yes, and it's usually simpler than a formal fundraising appeal since you're selling a product rather than soliciting donations. Still be transparent about where proceeds go, and keep basic records for accountability.

AML/CFT stands for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism — rules meant to stop donation platforms being used to move illicit funds. In practice: be able to show where money came from and where it went, especially for larger or international donations.