Global organisations urge South Africa to protect creators in modernising copyright law

2019 08 South Africa letter

A coalition of organisations including CISAC has addressed a letter to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding the Copyright Amendment and Performers’ Protections Bills. The organisations are calling for the bills to be sent back for a “proper, sector-specific impact assessment and meaningful consultation with affected stakeholders.”

As drafted, the Copyright Amendment and Performers’ Protections Bills would undermine the country’s creative communities as well as fail to achieve the government’s goal of aligning itself to the WIPO Internet and Beijing treaties by modernising the South African copyright law. The organisations offered their support on August 15thin order to protect creators’ rights and their ability to invest in South Africa to support strong internal and export markets for creative content.