REAGEN ALLEN: How govt can start taking the entertainment industry seriously ewn.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ewn.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Many performing artists live from hand to mouth, and from one gig to another. No work means no pay and, as result, there have been depressing tales of performing artists who have to work while sick to keep the wolf at bay or who died without a cent to their names.
South Africa s controversial copyright legislation is back in the spotlight, with a local
organisation claiming that the portfolio committee on trade and industry is attempting to rush through changes to the law for political reasons.
The bill - which allows for the free use of copyrighted content in some circumstances - was sent back to the National Assembly in June last year by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who said they were open to constitutional challenge.
Copyright Coalition of SA
says that the bill patently favours big tech companies from California over the entire local creator value chain .
An organisation representing local musicians, film makers, authors and artists has accused Parliament’s trade and industry portfolio committee of trying to rush through deliberations on legislation they say will sell out SA’s creative output in favour of big Silicon Valley tech companies.
South Africa: Activists March to Force Signing of Copyright Amendment Bill allafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Activists participating in a UN Human Rights Day protest made up a broad coalition of disability rights organisations, education unions and creatives. They marched from the offices of the Department of Trade and Industry in Pretoria – custodians of the Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) – to the Union Buildings to hand over a memorandum which details their demands for fair copyright legislation.
The protest included the South African Disability Alliance, Blind SA, the South African Democratic Teachers Union, ReCreate SA, Right2Know Campaign, Concerned Musicians and Creators, Wikimedia South Africa, the Treatment Action Campaign, the South African Guild of Actors, the South African Freelancers Association and high-profile performers. The CAB, drafted by the Department of Trade and Industry, amends the outdated Copyright Act of 1978 and came into being after a decade-long process of consultation.