SA’s IP law could do more to address colonial legacies

South Africa’s new copyright bill is awaiting the President’s signature to become law. But some believe it doesn’t go far enough to erase the legacies of the past.

South Africa’s copyright amendment bill, currently awaiting president Cyril Ramaphosa’s signature, is the first overhaul of the country’s IP laws in over 40 years. 

It allows for ‘fair use’—a concept from United States copyright law that allows anyone to use copyrighted material without licensing under certain conditions, such as educational purposes. The bill’s proponents say this will serve the public by making knowledge more accessible.