An overhaul of South Africa’s copyright reform has been paused following pressure from the U.S. and European Union
The Motion Picture Association , which represents Hollywood studios and Netflix, welcomed the president's decision. "
The MPA was part of a cross-creative sector group which included publishing, music and author societies , which worked closely with local creators to voice concerns transparently sent to Ramaphosa in August 2019.On Monday, Ramaphosa questioned the reform’s “constitutionality” and argued copyright exceptions could be in conflict with the World Intellectual Property Organization treaties.
Christo de Klerk, who works for Blind SA and backs the reform because it includes a general copyright exception for people with disabilities. Blind SA, an NGO helping visually impaired people find jobs,against Ramaphosa to force him to act upon the bills, which had been waiting on his desk for over 15 months.
In the months leading to the president's decision not to sign the bills, tensions had escalated with both Washington and Brussels.a review of South Africa’s eligibility to trade benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences, following a petition filed by the International Intellectual Property Alliance , a coalition that includes the MPA and the Recording Industry Association of America.
The IIPA argued the South African copyright reform failed to protect intellectual property rights, which is a condition to benefit from a program that allows duty-free imports from developing countries to the U.S. In 2018, South Africa exported $879 million worth of goods to the U.S. under the program, making it the seventh-largest beneficiary.
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