Scrap the Copyright Amendment Act before it damages R34 billion US-SA trade

13 March 2020

Some Acts of Parliament should not be signed into law, but referred back for urgent modification or, in the case of the Copyright Amendment Act, torn-up because of the damage it may cause.

This is not simply about intellectual property rights in the creative and cultural sectors.

Unless a compromise is reached soon, or the Act is scrapped and replaced, the implications for the R34 billion annual South African exports to the US could be dire.

It is obviously in the interests of every local exporter to the United States, however small, that the issues surrounding the Act are resolved quickly. Right now, a US delegation is touring South Africa as part of a review of South Africa’s status under the US generalized system of preferences (GSP).

The US is merely asking South Africa to abide by its international obligations under existing  multilateral treaties.

Someone in the President’s office should point out the urgency of finding a resolution before another blow descends on our already fragile economy.

It is clear the matter cannot wait another 12 months.

Issued Dean Le Grange, Media and Digital Co-ordinator, Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 13 March 2020