South Africa Rejects Copyright Lobby Critique, Defends Broad ‘Fair Use’ Exceptions
South Africa has been trying to update its copyright law for several years now. President Ramaphosa previously sent two bills back to the drawing broad, after U.S. copyright groups described the broad fair use exceptions as dangerous. While critique persists, the South African Government is now taking a firm stand, openly stating that broad fair use exceptions are a feature, not a bug.
The American copyright industry is one of the country’s primary exports, generating billions of dollars in annual revenue.
To protect the interests of these businesses around the world, copyright holder groups can count on help from the U.S. Government. The annual list of ‘notorious markets,’ for example, is a well-known diplomatic mechanism to encourage other countries to up their enforcement actions and improve laws.
The same is true for trade deals and other policies, which often require trade partners to take action in favor of copyright holder interests.
