On 1 September 2022, the progressive Copyright Amendment Bill (B13D-2017) was finally passed by the National Assembly. 163 voted for and 45 voted against the Bill, with no abstentions. 4 political parties (Democratic Alliance (DA), Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rejected the Bill in toto. 

The next step for the Bill is to go to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence.  The Bill will then be deliberated and voted on in the nine Provincial Legislatures. Once passed, it will be sent back to President Ramaphosa for assent.

See full article entitled “New copyright bill will take South Africa into the 21st century” published by GroundUp.

Photo by Tingey “Injury Law Firm” on Unsplash.