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Wikimedia South Africa/Copyright Amendment Bill/Role Players

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This is a list of notable supporters and detractors of the South African Copyright Amendment Bill (2018) and their stated interests in the bill. Where possible it summarises their publicly stated reasons for supporting or critiquing the bill.

To see the main article on Wikimedia South Africa's advocacy efforts regarding the Copyright Amendment bill please see South African Copyright Amendment Bill.

Supporters

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F: Some notable organisations actively supporting the Copyright Amendment bill:
Name Status Industry Country of origin Stated reason for being in support of the bill.
Wikimedia South Africa (WMZA) Non-profit Free knowledge
South Africa
In favour of Freedom of Panorama and Fair Use; all included in the bill.
ReCreate South Africa Umbrella organisation multiple
South Africa
Collective organisation representing a broad group of creators that are in favour of bill and fair use in particular. Some support easier access for libraries and study, some for reuse for public benefit purposes like documentary film makers, others support elements in the bill that expand royalty rights for actors and artists.
Blind South Africa (BlindSA) Non-profit Community interests
South Africa
Support the bill's copyright exception for the blind community to reprint books in braille and its alignment with the Marrakesh treaty for the blind allowing access to content for the disabled.
Library and Information Association of SA (LIASA) Non-profit Education
South Africa
Supports copyright exception for libraries to copy material for archiving, public access to library books, and public benefit.
Southern African Research Universities Association (SARUA) Academic Law
South Africa
Supports Fair Use. Argues it promotes the public good and promotes creatively.
Global Expert Network on Copyright User Rights (GENCUR) Academic Law
Global
"In our view, the proposed fair use provision combined with the specific list of exceptions provides South Africa the “best of both worlds” combining openness and predictability"[1] whilst being "fully compliant with international law."[2]
University of Cape Town Intellectual Property Unit (UCTIP) Academic Law
South Africa
Supports Fair Use. Argues it promotes the public good and promotes creatively.
South African Guild of Actors (SAGA) Trade union Entertainment
South Africa
Supports expanded royalty rights for actors and artists contained in the bill.
Scholarly Horizons Private Sector Academic consultancy
South Africa
Strongly supports the adoption of fair use and other copyright exceptions for archives and libraries. Denise Nicholson is very knowledgeable about the history of copyright reform efforts in South Africa and the CAB.
South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) Trade union Education
South Africa
Supports copyright exceptions for educational purposes contained in the bill.
Wikimedia Foundation Non-profit Free knowledge
United States
In favour of Freedom of Panorama and Fair Use; all included in the bill.
Right2Know (R2K) Non-profit Transparency
South Africa
Supports copyright exceptions for educational, research, and government transparency purposes contained in the bill.
Section27 Non-profit Human rights
South Africa
Supports copyright exceptions for educational purposes contained in the bill.
Google (Alphabet Inc) for-profit company Technology
United States
"Google is supportive of the Copyright Bill's adoption of fair use in Section 12A, as the way to best achieve the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s (DTIC) objectives"[3] to promote technological development & innovation and support the development of the fourth industrial revolution in South Africa.
COSATU Trade Union Trade Union
South Africa
States that the CAB is "a progressive Bill that will help ensure that indigent learners and students, as well as educational institutions and libraries have access to often exorbitantly unaffordable educational materials."[4]

Detractors

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A: Some notable individuals and organisations actively opposing the Copyright Amendment bill
Name Status Industry Country of origin Stated reason for being against the bill.
Copyright Coalition of South Africa (umbrella organisation) unclear, not listed
South Africa
Claim that the bill will "harm the ability of individuals as well as small, medium and large enterprises in the creative industry to earn a living" and that the bill was "railroaded through" parliament without sufficient consultation. Both are false claims. Also claims that the bill panders to "apparent pervasive influence of big technology companies, specifically Google" and that it will "only benefit big technology companies at the expense of [South African] creators of copyright works."[5]
Coalition for Effective Copyright in SA (umbrella organisation)
South Africa
Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA) Publishing industry body Publishing
South Africa
Allege that fair use will allow for wide scale copyright piracy and that the process of creating the CAB was controversial and flawed.[6]
SAMRO Collecting Society Music
South Africa
Fair use disrupts their business model and allege that it will sanction piracy. Must be noted that the Performers Protection Act (linked to the bill) also introduces criminal penalties for collecting societies caught not paying royalties to musicians; a clause that the collecting societies were vocally against when introduced into the bill.
Dramatic, Artistic, Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO) Copyright asset management organisation multiple
South Africa
Academic and Non-Fiction Authors of South Africa (ANFASA) Writers representative body Publishing
South Africa
PEN Afrikaans[7] Writers and publishers representative body Publishing
South Africa
Multichoice (a NASPERS company) for-profit company Streaming service
South Africa
Fair use and royalty rights for artists disrupts their business model.
Netflix for-profit company Streaming service
United States
Fair use and royalty rights for artists disrupts their business model.
Motion Picture Association International film lobbyist organisation (USA) Film
United States
Fair use and royalty rights for artists disrupts their business model. Claim that the bill will force foreign investment in the South African film sector overseas.
International Intellectual Property Alliance International film lobbyist organisation (USA) Film
United States
Fair use and royalty rights for artists disrupts their business model. Claim that the bill will force foreign investment in the South African film sector overseas.
South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL) Patent/IP attorney representative body Law
South Africa
Worries about constitutional implications, allege that no legal assessment was done, allege that no "adequate" socio-economic impact assessment was done. Opposes Freedom of Panorama.
Southern African Freelancers' Association (SAFREA) Membership representative body Freelance workers
South Africa
"Fair use is misuse." Argue that fair use is arbitrary deprivation of property through expropriation and denies the right to authorship.
International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) International film lobbyist organisation (Europe) Film
European Union
State that the bill will disrupt their business model in South Africa and allege it will create legal uncertainty for them. Claim that the bill will force foreign investment in the South African film sector overseas.
Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Auteurs et Compositeurs (CISAC) International NPO advocacy organisation for interests of creators worldwide (Europe) Various
European Union
Argues that it would harm the creative community, devalue creators' works, and deviate from international best practices by focusing excessively on exceptions and limiting creators' rights.
Recording institute of South Africa (RiSA) Trade Association for South African Record Companies Music
South Africa
Against fair use specifically. Accuse it of being too broad and allege that it will let people use works without having to ask permission of the author.
Sadulla Karjiker - Stellenbosch University: Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law Academic Law
South Africa
Alleges that the bill is poorly drafted and that they were unfairly excluded from the drafting process. It must be noted that the numerous rounds of inclusive public consultation on the drafting of the bill by government since 2015 makes this accusation difficult to believe to the pro-bill side. In 2021 Karjiker and Prof Owen Dean publish a book critical of the bill.[8]
South African Music industry Council (SAMIC) Trade Association for South African Record Companies Music
South Africa
Claim that fair use will allow for the "usurption" of copyright by introducing a process that will be a burden for record labels by making it more difficult to assert copyright and seek maximum compensation. Argues for enhanced fair dealing rights for copyright holders.
Adams & Adams Patent/IP law firm Law
South Africa
Argue that the CAB is “arguably the world’s broadest regime of new copyright exceptions and limitations” and that these will “weaken rightsholders’ positions to an all-time and unacceptable low”."[9]

References

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