The Copyright Amendment Bill, drafted by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, had been referred back to Parliament by the President, raising grounds on which he believed that the Bill is unconstitutional.

One of these had been addressed in that the Bill had been re-tagged as a provincial bill, and therefore has to be considered by the National Council of Provinces. This will cause considerable delay in having the Bill passed by Parliament. In the meantime, ASSAf and other interested parties have to submit their comments by 9 July, notwithstanding that there is bound to be an extension. The submissions that can be made by 9 July are limited to the issues that have been raised by the President. ASSAf hosted a workshop on the Copyright Amendment Bill in order to facilitate discussions. Read the Proceedings Report here.