
Parliament, Wednesday, 26 January 2022 – The Portfolio Committee Trade and Industry wishes to inform interested parties and stakeholders that further submissions on the Copyright Amendment Bill and Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill can be accessed on Parliament’s website.
On 4 June 2021, the committee placed adverts in national and local newspapers as well as on all Parliament’s social media platforms inviting stakeholders and interested parties to submit written submissions with reference only to clause 13 (sections 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D), clause 19 (section 19B) and clause 20 (section 19C) in relation to the Copyright Amendment Bill [B13B-2017].
This call for further submission was in response to the President’s reservations in that various sections of the Bill, including section 12A, which deals with the fair use of a work, was not put out for public comment before the final version of the Copyright Amendment Bill was published and that certain copyright exceptions may be unconstitutional.
Furthermore, the committee invited stakeholders and interested parties to submit written submissions with reference to the alignment of the Copyright Amendment Bill [B13B-2017] and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill [B24B-2016] with the obligations set out in international treaties, including the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) Copyright Treaty, the Wipo Performance and Phonograms Treaty, and the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.
Public hearings on these bills were held on 11 and 12 August 2021 with the submissions being tabled in the committee. In order to provide public access to these submissions, Parliament had to ensure that it complies with the Promotion of Access to Information (POPI) Act. The process has now been completed.
The submissions received on these bills are published on the parliamentary website for perusal. The link is as follows: https://tinyurl.com/2xtepzd4. Audio recordings for hearings held on 11 and 12 August 2021 will be available on the parliamentary YouTube channel. Stakeholders can committee secretaries, Mr A Hermans on ahermans@parliament.gov.za or Mr T Madima at tmadima@parliament.gov.za
Parliamentary committees are open to the media and the public. Journalists wishing to cover these (including receiving links to virtual meetings) should send their cellphone numbers to Mlindi Mpindi on email mmpindi@parliament.gov.za for inclusion in the Parliamentary Communications Services WhatsApp Group, where such information is shared. Journalists must send these requests using their official email addresses (no private emails).
Members of the public may follow sittings live on Parliament TV (DStv Channel 408), via live stream on Parliament YouTube channel and Twitter page on the links below. You may subscribe to the Parliament YouTube channel to receive instant notification of live feeds.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParliamentofRSA
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ParliamentofRSA
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ParliamentofRSA
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES