“Whether copyright protection protects tastes has been stirring up emotions in European legal circles for some time. Some say that such protection would be contrary to the idea-expression dichotomy, the notion that ideas and principles underlying any element of a work can never be protected. Others argue protecting taste would negatively affect free competition, among […]
It is about time! Great news for those in need of new, good fiction in the courtroom drama sub-genre with a truly South African perspective – the new book The Summit Syndrome has just been published by Authorhouse UK. And the best part – it is set as a copyright infringement case authored by the man who knows […]
The legal research group of the African National Congress held a workshop in Sandton on 14 October 2017 to discuss the Copyright Amendment Bill 2017 with input from a panel of experts and questions from the attendees. The panel included the current Chair of Intellectual Property Law at Stellenbosch University, Prof Sadulla Karjiker, and the […]
“Critics of intellectual property law are apt to resort to sweeping generalisations about the unacceptable social costs of intellectual-property protection. First, as is the case with many issues concerning indigenous knowledge, these critics, who seek to undermine the property rights established by intellectual property law, often resort to making rather emotive, and sensational, claims, but […]
The Chair of IP Law has submitted its commentary on the 2017 Copyright Amendment Bill, version B13-2017, published by the Department of Trade and Industry on 16 May 2017, pursuant to Government Gazette (Notice 799 of 2017 (GG 40121, 5 July 2016). The full text of the Chair’s comments, drafted by Prof Sadulla Karjiker and […]
The Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law at Stellenbosch University (the “Chair”) has addressed an open letter to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, concerning the Copyright Amendment Bill [B13-2017] (the “2017 Bill”), published by the Department of Trade and Industry (“DTI”) on 16 May 2017. In light of the poor drafting […]
On 27 April, Freedom Day, we will pause to mark the most significant moment in South African history and commemorate the day when freedom, above all else, became the nation’s guiding principle. The day before, World IP Day, we celebrate the achievements of our brethren that influence our every-day lives and the ability of free […]
Prof Karjiker’s comments on the draft the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill [B24-2016] (the “Amendment Bill”), are submitted to the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry (the “Portfolio Committee”) pursuant to the invitation of the Portfolio Committee. These comments will focus on the interaction between the Performer’s Protection Act 11 of 1967 (the “Principal Act”) and the […]
Summary: While the Department of Trade and Industry’s recently published Intellectual Property Consultative Framework promises that future legislation will be the result of a thorough examination of the matters of concern by experts, and stakeholders, in the field, it should also consider undoing the potential damage which may have already been done to our intellectual property […]
The recent decision involving Moneyweb and Media24 (Moneyweb (Pty) Limited v Media 24 Limited & Another [2016] ZAGPJHC 81) (full text available here) is an important one for copyright lawyers in South Africa because it is the first time that two provisions relating to news reporting of the Copyright Act 1978 (the Act) have been […]
