Rationale of copyright exceptions*
NATURE OF COPYRIGHT Copyright is a body of law that provides creators of written and other works with the power to exercise control over the commercial exploitation of their works. The rationale is to place authors in a position to derive material benefits from the fruits of their labours in creating original works, thus providing them with a means of deriving income and incentivizing them to create more and better works for the benefit of all. In practice, this is commonly achieved by enabling authors to charge royalties or fees for the...
read moreWritten submissions on Copyright Amendment Bill and Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill
Following its comprehensive review and comments submitted on the various versions of the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill, the Chair of IP law has again submitted comments on the Bills. These comments are submitted pursuant to the invitation extended by the Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour to submit written comments on the two Bills. The full texts of the Chair’s comments are available for download...
read moreWritten submissions on Copyright Amendment Bill and Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill – Western Cape
Following its comprehensive review and comments submitted on the various versions of the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill, the Chair of IP law has again submitted comments on the Bills. These comments are submitted pursuant to the invitation extended by the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism (“Standing Committee”) to submit written comments on the two Bills. The full texts of the Chair’s comments are available for...
read moreOwen Dean’s Amicus Curiae Founding Affidavit in the Blind SA matter
Here is the downloadable version of Prof Owen Dean‘s amicus curiae founding affidavit in the matter of Blind SA v Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition [2022] ZACC 33. Download here Follow Share on Tumblr
read moreWritten comments and representations on the draft Regulations relating to the Protection, Promotion, Development and Management of Indigenous Knowledge
The Chair has made written comments and representations on the draft Regulations relating to the Protection, Promotion, Development and Management of Indigenous Knowledge, pursuant to the invitation extended by the Minister of Science and Innovation on the publication of the “Regulations relating to the Protection, Promotion, Development and Management of Indigenous Knowledge Systems” (the “Draft IKS Regulations”) in General Notice 2647 of 2022 (GG 47292, 14 October 2022) (“GN 2647”) and General Notice 2722 of 2022 (GG 47453, 4...
read moreConfessions of a Struggling Author
I am a struggling author. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t struggle to put the proverbial pen to paper. On the contrary, the words flow easily and in abundance. I fondly believe that I have a way with words – I receive complimentary comments. I have lots of stories to tell. I want to tell them. Why then, you ask, am I struggling? I will tell you. I am an experienced attorney specializing in Intellectual Property Law, especially Copyright. I have written a text book on the subject and have published literally hundreds of learned articles in...
read moreCopyright Exemptions Unpacked
A basic primer on the fair dealing exemptions in copyright law, composed by Professor Owen Dean, now available for download here: Copyright Exemptions Unpacked Follow Share on Tumblr
read moreCopyright Unpacked: a Basic Introduction to Copyright Law
A basic primer on copyright law, composed by Professor Owen Dean, now available for download here: Copyright Unpacked Follow Share on Tumblr
read moreDefects in Copyright Amendments Exposed
STATUS OF THE COPYRIGHT AMENDMENT BILL For literally years, informed commentators on copyright law have been telling the Government that the Copyright Amendment Bill is fundamentally flawed, badly drafted and misguided in many respects. Alas, none so blind as those who will not see and none so deaf as those who will not hear! The machinations around the passage of the Bill through Parliament and abortive attempts to make cosmetic improvements to it have led to it being a work in progress for more than five years now. It was passed, warts and...
read moreIP Public Lecture 2022 – Influence or Infringement in Music
THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED Watch the video of the lecture below. The 2022 annual intellectual property law public lecture, presented by the Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law at the Faculty of Law, will address influence or infringement in music. The lecture will be delivered by Owen Salmon SC from the Johannesburg Bar, on the topic To Create a Stairway to Heaven All You Need is Spirit. The lecture takes place on 6 October 2022 at the Faculty of Law, Stellenbosch University. The event is sponsored by Von Seidels IP Attorneys. Date:...
read moreCIP written submissions on additional definitions and clauses in the Copyright Amendment Bill 2017
Following its comprehensive review and comments submitted on the various versions of the Copyright Amendment Bill (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2021), the Chair of IP law has again submitted comments specifically pertaining to additional definitions and clauses in the Amendment Bill. The full text of the Chair’s comments is available for download here. Download comments Follow Share on...
read moreIP Public Lecture 2021 – IP Law in the Light of the Information Society
THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED Watch the video of the lecture below. The 2021 annual intellectual property law public lecture, presented by the Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law at the Faculty of Law, will address IP law in the light of the information society. The lecture will be delivered by Prof. Dr. Thomas Hoeren from the Institute on Information, Telecommunications and Media Law (ITM) at the University of Münster, on the topic Information wants to be Free. The lecture takes place on 7 October at the Faculty of Law,...
read moreAmending Copyright – Footing the Bill
The Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) was passed by Parliament despite widespread criticism and condemnation by informed commentators. The CAB was rejected by President Ramaphosa and referred back to Parliament with the direction that it be reviewed and amended where necessary. His objections were mainly centered around the problem that it contained provisions that are in conflict with the South African Constitution and more particularly the Bill of Rights contained in Chapter 2, sections 7 – 39. ‘FOOTING THE BILL’ The term or...
read moreCIP written submissions on copyright exceptions in the Copyright Amendment Bill 2017
Following its comprehensive review and comments submitted on the 2015, 2017 and 2018 versions of the Copyright Amendment Bill, the Chair of IP law has again submitted comments specifically pertaining to the copyright exceptions in the Amendment Bill. The full text of the Chair’s comments is available for download here. Download comments Follow Share on...
read moreThe Use Fair
We have all been to fun fairs. A fun fair is a facility set up in a vacant space, usually of temporary duration, devoted to providing entertainment to those who frequent it. There are ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, helter skelters, tunnels of horrors, dodgem cars, roller coasters and the like. There are also stalls of one form or another where prizes can be won, such as coconut shies where wooden balls are thrown at coconuts, or other targets like effigies of people, with a view to knocking them off their pedestals. Handouts of free gifts are...
read moreCopyright Dark Forces
Copyright is a system which grants creatives (i.e. writers, artists, composers, film makers, record producers and the like) certain exclusive rights to their works which enable those works to be commercially exploited for financial reward. Creatives are thus empowered to make a living out of their works, which in turn is an incentive to make more and better works. In general, the modus operandi is for copyright owners to grant licences for the use of their works, subject to the payment of royalties. They have complete freedom and flexibility...
read moreReconstituting the Copyright Amendment Bill
Every golfer has had the experience of duffing a shot – driving the ball straight into a water hazard – and, having incurred a penalty stroke, hitting a perfect drive straight down the middle of the fairway at the second attempt. This has given rise to the golfing adage: Confucius say hit second shot first! In similar vein, Parliament has produced a horrendous piece of copyright legislation, but has now been given a second chance to get it right, without incurring any penalty. Will it take up and optimize this break, that is the question?...
read moreAuthors, you’ve got a friend?
INTRODUCTION The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives the following as a meaning of the word “friend”: “A person who wishes another, a cause etc., well; a sympathizer, helper, patron…” Carole King, the famous songwriter/performer, gives a good description of the characteristics of a friend in her iconic song, You’ve Got a Friend. The drafters of the Copyright Amendment Bill (“CAB”), which is currently before Parliament, purport to be the friend of creative persons, referred to as “authors” in respect of all kinds of...
read moreWaiver of IP Rights in the Eye of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dr Madelein Kleyn (Director Technolgy Transfer, Innovus and fellow of the Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law) has written a piece contemplating whether it is possible to waive IP rights in view of the minimum requirements set by the TRIPS Agreement for the protection of IP Rights, in light of the patent waiver controversy regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Read the full article here. Follow Share on Tumblr
read moreCommentary: Draft Regulations to the Geoscience Act 100 of 1993
Innovus, the Technology Transfer Office of Stellenbosch and the Stellenbosch University Department of Earth Science, and the Department of Geotechnical Engineering have submitted their commentary on the Draft Regulations to the Geoscience Act 100 of 1993, published for comment on 3 March 2021. These comments were compiled by Prof Alexander Kisters (Head of Department: Department of Earth Science), Prof Peter Day (Adjunct Professor: Geotechnical Engineering), Andre Pelser (Attorney at Roux De Villiers & Associates), and Dr Madelein Kleyn...
read moreWritten submission: Proposed National Data and Cloud Policy
Innovus, the Technology Transfer Office of Stellenbosch, has made a written submission to the proposed National Data and Cloud Policy in terms of the Electronic Communications Act 36 fo 2005. These comments were compiled by Andre Pelser (Attorney at Roux De Villiers & Associates), and Dr Madelein Kleyn (Director Technolgy Transfer, Innovus, and fellow of the Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law). The full text of the written submission is available for download here. Download written submission Follow Share on...
read moreFreedom to operate conundrum
Freedom to operate conundrum By Dr. Madelein Kleyn, Innovus, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Abstract: Growing a patent portfolio by protecting the innovation derived from research and development investment is merely the beginning to the creation of value. Freedom to use, sell and otherwise exploit the invention is the challenge. This is so often misunderstood. Introduction A patent grants a negative right to its owner, i.e. the right to exclude others from making, using, exercising, disposing, or offering...
read moreCopyright Blind Spot
INTRODUCTION Blind people are at a distinct disadvantage and face serious challenges when it comes to reading the written word. They need written text to be rendered in braille or in electronic form to permit a text-to-speech functionality with easy navigation across the text. Unfortunately, such adapted-for-disability-utility versions of written text are in short supply or are not always optimally operational. The international community, and more particularly the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), has embraced this plight of...
read moreThe virtual reality and hard data of successful university start-ups that may succeed…or not!
Dr Madelein Kleyn has written a piece for the June 2020 publication of the Les Nouvelles, the journal of the Licensing Executives Society International, on the challenges faced by start-up businesses and the risk management strategies to combat such challenges.
read moreRepresentations Regarding Possible Amendments to Section 25 of The Constitution
Introduction The South African Constitutional Court has ruled that the term “property” in the Section 25 of the Constitution covers not only land but also all forms of property including intellectual property (i.e. patents, designs, copyright trade marks and the like). In the event that, as proposed, this section is amended to allow property to be expropriated without compensation, it will mean that this principle will apply also to intellectual property. All and any patents, copyrights and trade marks etc., whether owned by South African...
read moreIP Public Lecture 2019 – the changing role of advertising
THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED Watch the video of the lecture below. The 2019 annual intellectual property law public lecture, presented by the Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law at the Faculty of Law, will address the role of advertising in IP disputes, with a focus on the changes that regulation of advertising has undergone in light of social and economic pressures. The lecture will be delivered by Gail Schimmel, CEO of the Advertising Regulatory Board, on the topic No Time to be Chicken. Her address will deal with the need to have...
read moreMasterclass: Prof Dean discuss Netflix’s “The Lion’s Share”
Prof Dean was the guest on Azania Mosaka’s Masterclass series on Radio 702 to discuss the real story of Mbube, recently retold in the Netflix docu-drama “The Lion’s Share”. Listen to the podcast of the masterclass here (click the images below). If you are not yet familiar with the basic facts, below is a short synopsis of the events, which will soon be published in Managing Intellectual Property. Listen on Radio 702 podcasts Listen on Apple podcasts MIGHTY MOUSE AND THE SOMNOLENT LION’S...
read moreAwakening the Lion in the Jungle
“Your mandate is to find a way, and to do everything possible, to enable the children of Solomon Linda, the composer of a song called MBUBE, which later evolved into the international hit song THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT, to derive some financial benefit from the considerable revenues generated by the popularity of THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT. You should recommend any reasonable course of action which you can conceive and we are willing to finance it even if it means conducting litigation abroad.” This instruction came from representatives...
read moreIntellectual Property Law and How it Applies to Sport Events
In this special World IP Day article, Prof Owen Dean revisits the theme of IP rights protection for sporting events in South African law, with a focus on the developments and the Cricket World Cup 2019 as an example. Introduction Major sports are big business and vast sums of money are involved in staging sport events. This global trend was brought into sharp focus in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The 2010 FIFA World Cup provided an excellent example of the role that branding plays in major sports, and how it can...
read moreWorld IP Day 2019: Reach for Gold
On 25 April 2019 the Chair of IP Law, in cooperation with Innovus, will celebrate World IP Day with a public seminar on the theme Reach for Gold: IP and Sport. The seminar will include discussions on the sports nutrition, cutting-edge technologies in sports, high performance technology support, sport concussion diagnosis and the rise of e-sports. The event will allow attendees to encounter a variety of groundbreaking innovations and is followed by a cocktail reception. The event is sponsored by IP law firms Spoor & Fisher and Von...
read moreGreat Listening: Discourse on the Copyright Amendment Bill
Prof Sadulla Karjiker, the incumbent Chair of IP Law, joined Hugh Melamdowitz, partner at Spoor & Fisher, and Wiseman Ngubo, head of legal and business Affairs for CAPASSO (Composers, Authors and Publishers Association) on Classic FM 1027’s Classic Business to discuss the diversity of views on the latest draft of the Copyright Amendment Bill. Listen to the podcast below or click here to visit the website. Follow Share on...
read moreIP Rights perspective: Ubuntu Baba v Woolworths
Prof Owen Dean discussed the recent controversy about the Ubuntu Baba baby carrier and a similar Woolworths product with Azania Mosaka on 702 Radio to explain how IP rights may find application in similar circumstances. You can read extracts of the interview, or listen to the full interview below, or visit the 702 page. Follow Share on...
read moreCopyleft Amendments to Copyright
So called “state capture” is a concept which currently dominates current public discourse. It represents the usurpation and domination of the powers of the state by the Zuma/Gupta alliance. State capture, albeit in a different form, has occurred in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in regard to its custodianship of intellectual property. Beginning in the late nineteen nineties, with the advent to power in Trade and Industry of Minster Alex Erwin, a “third force” has assumed control of this important area of the law with...
read moreThe technical function exclusion in design law
The DOCERAM/CeramTec-case (C-395/16) is the first case dealing with the meaning of the “technical function” exclusion in relation to Community designs. The CJEU’s judgment provides an interpretation of Article 8(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No. 6/2002 on Community designs (the “Regulation”) – and hence, indirectly, also of Article 7(1) of Directive 98/71/EC on the legal protection of designs – which provides that “a design right shall not subsist in features of appearance of a product which are solely...
read moreIs Plagiarism Unlawful?
INTRODUCTION “Plagiarism” is a much misunderstood and misused term in common parlance. In layman’s terms it is generally used to convey the notion of copying or reproducing the work of another in a clandestine manner. Although it is not specifically mentioned or perhaps even considered as an element, by implication it entails such misuse being without permission. It is often used as a synonym for, or in lieu of, “copyright infringement” and it is generally thought to amount to the same thing. Supposedly, being copyright infringement...
read moreCommissioned works – with special reference to literary works
There is a common misconception concerning copyright works, namely, that the person who has commissioned the creation of a copyright work also owns the copyright in such a work. This article will illustrate that, in the absence of an express contractual arrangement, it is only in a limited number of situations that the commissioner of a copyright work will also be the copyright owner of such a work. Copyright protection is provided for by the Copyright Act 98 of 1978 (“the Act”). The Act determines what types of works are protected,...
read moreThe Plagiarist on Trial – a legal perspective on plagiarism
In an attempt to circumscribe the range of “nefarious conduct”[1] that may amount to plagiarism, many resort to a discourse on ethical standards,[2] literary technique,[3] institutional values, citation methodology, copyright infringement[4] or theft.[5] Although these discussions, at least in part, approach a grasp on what plagiarism means, none are acceptable from a legal perspective. Moreover, while reliance is placed on moral considerations instead of the law, the intolerable risk remains that cases of plagiarism will be adulterated by...
read moreFull comments: Copyright Amendment Bill 2018
Following its comprehensive review and comments submitted on the 2015 and 2017 versions of the Copyright Amendment Bill, the Chair of IP law has again submitted comments on the 2018 version. The full text of the Chair’s comments, authored by Proff Sadulla Karjiker and Owen Dean, is available for download here. Download comments Follow Share on...
read moreMaXhosa v Zara
Prof Owen Dean recently discussed the likelihood of legal action by Laduma Ngxokolo against fashion house Zara for infringement of the MaXhosa by Laduma designs. The interview with Prof Dean was broadcast on 702 radio as part of the Night Talk programme hosted by Gugulethu Mhlungu. You can listen to the interview here. Featured image source: http://www.maxhosa.co.za/about Follow Share on...
read moreFull Stop Ahead: Public interest in blocking digital content
It makes for the perfect ideological storm when IP law and ICT law meet and the right to freedom of expression stands in the way. Capitalist and socialist, activist and pacifist, pragmatist and idealist: differing legal experts abound in the battle for, or against, IP rights in the digital environment. Two recent developments which illustrate this tension, might serve South Africans well, if observed with care. First, the recent ruling of the General Court of the European Union in Constantin Film Produktion GmbH v EUIPO[i] made it clear that...
read moreBEPS and Intangibles: How does it impact IP tax structures?
Intangible assets constitute a major value-driver for multi-national enterprises (MNEs). This is even more so for companies that rely on valuable intangibles rather than physical assets to generate financial returns. Intangibles such as patents, design, trademarks (or brands) and copyrights are generally easy to identify, value and transfer and as such attractive for multi-national tax planning structures especially as these rights usually does not have a fixed geographical basis and is highly mobile as a result can be relocated without...
read moreCommentary: Draft Intellectual Property Policy Phase 1 2017
Prof Sadulla Karjiker and Dr Madelein Kleyn recently submitted the following comments to the DTI on the Draft IP Policy Phase 1 2017. The full text of the IP Chair’s commentary may be downloaded here. Introduction The Department of Trade and Industry published the Draft Intellectual Property Policy of the Republic of South Africa Phase I 2017 (the “2017 Draft IP Policy”).[1] The Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, has invited interested persons to submit written comments on the 2017 Draft IP Policy by 17...
read moreCopyright in taste? CJEU to decide.
“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 other things. Allowing taste copyright would lead to creative stagnation because when chefs invent new dishes and thus tastes, they always build on already existing...
read moreGood read: a truly South African novel on copyright law
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 how to tell this story very well, Professor Owen Dean. Mixing legal suspense with a character-driven plot “in this dramatic story of treachery, betrayal, love, and an obsession to succeed, a lawyer takes on a complex...
read moreANC Legal Research Group on Copyright Amendment Bill
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 founding Chair and current Fellow of IP Law at Stellenbosch University, Prof Owen Dean. A detailed, diverse and open discussion followed the panel presentations on inter alia the application of copyright...
read moreIP: Politics and Beyond
“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 find it difficult to substantiate their criticisms with good evidence, other than for anecdotal tales. Second, critics of intellectual property...
read moreFull Review: Copyright Amendment Bill 2017
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 Mr Cobus Jooste, is available here. Follow Share on...
read moreVideo: Prof Karjiker on the Copyright Amendment Bill
The incumbent of the Chair of IP Law, Prof Sadulla Karjiker, recently addressed the Geneva Network/Free Market Foundation Roundtable discussion on South Africa’s journey to a knowledge economy: progress and challenges. His speech dealt with the 2017 Copyright Amendment Bill, and supplements the comments of the Chair of IP Law on the Bill. You can watch a recording of Prof Karjiker’s speech here. You can read more about the 2017 Bill here. Follow Share on...
read moreOpen Letter to the Minister of Trade and Industry – Copyright Amendment Bill 2017
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 of the 2017 Bill, and its far-reaching consequences, the Chair has urged the Minister: to extend the period within which written submissions must be made; and, to ensure that the 2017 Bill,...
read moreFreedom to innovate – did Government get the message?
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 human intellectual endeavour to improve our lives. In recent years, Freedom Day celebrations have been reduced to the favourite grandstanding occasion for politicians. While celebrating, many public figures will repeat...
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