Global Authors Beg Parliament not to Embrace the Destructive Copyright Bill

Global authors unite against South Africa's Copyright Bill. Controversial legislation threatens creators' rights and faces opposition from CISAC and local artist associations.

on Feb 26, 2024

Global Authors Beg Parliament not to Embrace the Destructive Copyright Bill | Frontlist

A global network of over five million creators has urged South African legislators not to pass the contentious Copyright Amendment Bill.

Gadi Oron, director general of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, or CISAC, came out against the law in a statement released on Saturday, warning that it would affect South Africa's creative community.

The measure and a report on it issued by the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry, and Competition are due to be debated by the National Assembly this Thursday.

The National Council of Provinces passed the measure in September 2023.

However, CISAC, the world's leading network of author's societies, has asked the National Assembly not to pass the Copyright Amendment Bill.
"If adopted, the bill will harm South Africa's creative community, devalue creators' works and be out of step with international best practice," Oron went on to say.
The measure has also been opposed by local artist associations, particularly those affiliated with the Copyright Coalition South Africa, which has advocated for the bill's redrafting after it was first submitted in 2017.

CISAC claims that the law will undermine copyright, which is the "foundation of creators' economic sustenance." Oron stated that it would have a negative influence not just on the livelihoods of individuals working in the creative sectors, but also on the next generation of innovators.

Some of the bill's significant improvements include giving persons with disabilities access to copyrighted works, such as turning a book into a braille format that a blind person can read.

The law also uses the "fair-use principle" to permit the free use of copyrighted works in certain situations, such as research or teaching. News24 previously reported that firms such as Google embrace the fair usage principle.

The measure establishes digital rights protection, as well as "equitable remuneration" or the sharing of royalties in copyright works such as literary, musical, artistic, and audiovisual, and allows for the transfer of royalty rights. It also discusses constraints and exceptions when it comes to reproducing copyrighted works.