EDITORIAL: Flawed copyright bill needs more work
President Cyril Ramaphosa may well have his hands tied if the National Council of Provinces passes the draft law
It would be remiss of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to approve the Copyright Amendment Bill on Thursday despite heavy opposition to the draft legislation. If approved at the NCOP’s plenary session, the bill, which is aimed at ensuring fair compensation for publishers, artists and film producers, will be referred to President Cyril Ramaphosa for final sign-off. The president, who is said to be well aware that there are major concerns surrounding the bill, including that it could hamper his investment drive, could have his hands tied. If he is unhappy with it, he could send the bill back to parliament for certain points to be reconsidered, though the NCOP could send it straight back and essentially force his hand. In that case, his last option would be to challenge it in the Constitutional Court, an unlikely scenario considering his push for unity.
A more likely scenario is that the bill will sail through uncontested, only for certain aspects of it to be challenged an...
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