Commission intervention in South African copyright reform on behalf of international rights holders
23.6.2020
Question for written answer E-003731/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Ska Keller (Verts/ALE), Anna Cavazzini (Verts/ALE)
On 18 February 2019, entertainment industry representatives asked the Commission to send a demarche to the South African government to lobby against the national copyright reform [1] . On 20 March 2020, following a meeting with those interest groups, the European External Action Service sent the demarche on behalf of the Commission to the President of South Africa [2] . On 19 June 2020, the South African President announced that he would send the bill back to Parliament.
- 1.Why did the Commission intervene to block a national copyright reform that would allow South Africa to join important international treaties such as the Marrakesh Treaty, which ensures access to accessible books for people who are blind or visually impaired?
- 2.Why did the Commission intervene on behalf of a stakeholder group without carrying out an independent impact assessment and without consulting other European stakeholders such as users and educational establishments?
- 3.Why did the Commission oppose a reform that would have given South African (majority Black and majority low-income) authors and performers similar contractual rights as European authors enjoy under the recently adopted Directive on copyright in the digital single market?
Last updated: 13 July 2020