SA publishing houses cry foul over Copyright Amendment Bill

JOHANNESBURG - The Publishing Association of South Africa (PASA) said that it supports making literary work accessible to blind people. 

However, it said that the Copyright Amendment Bill is flawed.

ALSO READ: 

• Section 27 wants Ramaphosa to urgently sign Copyright Amendment Bill into law
• Blind SA calls on Ramaphosa to sign bill for improved access to published material

The bill, which has been passed by both houses of Parliament, seeks to - among others - allow blind or visually impaired people to convert published material into accessible formats like braille without having to request consent from copyright holders.

The bill came as a result of a Constitutional Court ruling in September 2022. The apex court ruled that certain clauses of the 1978 Copyright Act unlawful.

The court gave an exemption to these clauses which expire on Saturday (21 September).

PASA, which represents the majority of South Africa's publishing houses, says it does not have an issue with making its material accessible to blind or visually impaired people.

However, its Copyright Council's Carlo Lavizarri said that other sections of the Copyright Amendment Bill will have far-reaching consequences for the industry.

"The problem really is with the Copyright Bill’s other 55 amendments that it carries and that remains a highly contentious issue which basically amounts to a giveaway to the big tech companies. It would effectively make South African culture and works available to the big techs for their profits without compensation and reward for South African creatives."

The president’s office said that the bill is currently being processed. However, it did not provide a timeline on when it will be signed into law.