AP MEDIA PTE. LTD. v MOTOR IMAGE ENTERPRISES PTE LTD

[2026] SGDC 151 District Court 5 May 2026 • DC/OC 1223/2024 • 33 min read

10 cases cited (9 SG, 1 foreign)

Catchwords

Contract — Formation Contract — Contractual terms Contract — Discharge — Breach Contract — Remedies — Liquidated damages

Practice Areas

Contract

Judges (1)

Jonathan Ng Pang Ern Delivered

Counsel (6)

Bayfront Law LLC Firm Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP Firm Dorothy Grace Tan Jun Wen Counsel Defendant Kesavan Nair Counsel Defendant Mok Zi Cong Counsel Plaintiff Ng Hui Min Counsel Plaintiff

Parties (2)

AP MEDIA PTE. LTD. Plaintiff MOTOR IMAGE ENTERPRISES PTE LTD Defendant

Case Significance

In AP Media Pte Ltd v Motor Image Enterprises Pte Ltd [2026] SGDC 151, decided on 5 May 2026, District Judge Jonathan Ng Pang Ern of the District Court resolved a contract dispute arising from an uncompleted video advertisement for the Subaru Forester SUV. The claimant, AP Media Pte Ltd (an advertising agency represented by Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP), produced five draft videos using avant-garde technology for the defendant, Motor Image Enterprises Pte Ltd — the sole Subaru distributor in Singapore — which rejected all five and made no payment. The court addressed issues of contract formation, contractual terms, breach, and liquidated damages.

Summary

AP Media Pte Ltd, an advertising agency, sued Motor Image Enterprises Pte Ltd, the sole Subaru distributor in Singapore, for breach of contract after Motor Image refused to pay for virtual production work done on a planned Subaru Forester video advertisement, despite having accepted a fee quote on 8 November 2023. The dispute centred on whether a binding contract was formed and whether Motor Image's dissatisfaction with five draft videos entitled it to refuse payment. The District Court allowed the claim, finding a valid contract had been formed and that Motor Image was in repudiatory breach, awarding liquidated damages of $164,154.

What contract issues arose when a Singapore advertiser's video production for Subaru was rejected without payment?

In AP Media Pte Ltd v Motor Image Enterprises Pte Ltd [2026] SGDC 151, District Judge Jonathan Ng Pang Ern examined whether a binding contract existed between the advertising agency and Subaru's sole Singapore distributor after Motor Image Enterprises rejected all five draft Subaru Forester videos and withheld payment, addressing formation, breach, and liquidated damages.

Cases Cited (10)

SG (1)

[2023] SGHC 294

SLR (8)

[2000] 2 SLR(R) 407 [2004] 3 SLR(R) 316 [2006] 4 SLR(R) 571 [2007] 4 SLR(R) 413 [2007] 4 SLR(R) 855 [2013] 4 SLR 193 [2021] 1 SLR 631 [2022] 2 SLR 23

UK (1)

[1915] AC 75

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.

Read on eLitigation

Source: eLitigation ([2026] SGDC 151)