The IPO represents, protects and promotes the interests of independent South African film, television and digital media producers and, in turn, all who work in and are suppliers to the industry value chain.

NEWS 

IPO Supports The CCIFSA March Against The Copyright Amendment Bill

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The IPO joined forces with the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA), who led us in a peaceful march to the Gauteng Legislature in Johannesburg on 25 August 2023. The core objective of the protest was to make visible the mounting apprehensions regarding the Copyright Amendment Bill.  The key messages of the protest were:

  • The current copyright amendment bill takes creators for granted and undermines fair compensation. Reject the bill.
  • The current copyright amendment bill threatens the local creative industries and puts many jobs at risk. Reject the bill.

At the heart of these concerns is the clause detailing “Fair Use,” which the Federation highlights as a source of legal ambiguity. Chairperson of the federation, Chola Makgamathe, says the clause would also allow large foreign companies to exploit South African workers without paying royalties or obtaining permission.

Internationally renowned singer and songwriter, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, says enacting the Copyright Amendment Bill in its current form would be disastrous for South African artists. Chaka Chaka was speaking during a media briefing that the federation hosted in Johannesburg the day before the march.

SABC News quoted Chaka Chaka as saying; “If we sign this bill in its current state, it’s going to be disastrous. It’s not that we don’t want the bill to be signed, but we are saying to the president, the people and the powers that be, look at it, so that we don’t go back after 10 years, to have our children who want to be in the creative industry still having the same problems. Let’s fix it now…and I would have wished for the president and Parliament to have included us when this bill was written.”