New Collaboration with the Mandela Institute at Wits University Johannesburg on Copyright Law in South Africa
November 24, 2023
South Africa has spent over 10 years developing new legislation aimed at ensuring a more balanced copyright system. Its aim - to ensure livelihoods for creators and affordable access to knowledge for users. If the reforms are so beneficial for so many people, how do we explain the fierce debates and opposition from some participants in the creative sector?
Professor Sean Flynn reveals that the answer may lie in the extreme inequality in South Africa and the business models of rights-holders who seek to exploit copyright ownership for economic gain, sometimes at the expense of creators AND users. He draws a parallel between the efforts to introduce balanced copyright in South Africa today and the previous fight for affordable access to AIDS medicines in the late 1990s.
If you've ever wanted to demystify the debates about copyright reform by delving into the political and economic backdrop, this one's for you.