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The Copyright Amendment Bill

A printed copy of the Copyright Amendment Bill lying open on a table
The Copyright Amendment Bill — first tabled in 2017, still unsigned.

The campaign

The Copyright Amendment Bill

South Africa’s copyright law dates from 1978. The Amendment Bill would finally introduce fair use, exceptions for education, libraries and people with disabilities, and protections that let creators keep earning from their own work. It has been through Parliament twice, two rounds of public hearings, a presidential referral and the Constitutional Court — and it is still not law.

  • 2019Both houses pass the Bill; the President refers it back on constitutional grounds.
  • 2020Creators and communities march on the Union Buildings on International Human Rights Day.
  • 2022BlindSA wins at the Constitutional Court: the current Act is declared unconstitutional.
  • 2025The National Assembly passes the Bill again. ReCreate keeps the pressure on.

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