Copyright Amendment Bill, 2015

On 28 July 2015, Parliament published the Copyright Amendment Bill for public comment. The Bill, which will amend the Copyright Act 98 of 1978, can be found online here. Submissions on the Bill can be emailed to Meshendri Padayachy at MPadayachy@thdti.gov.za until Thursday, 27 August 2015.

Following detailed review of the Bill, the Fix the Patent Laws Coalition will publish comment on the Bill and make a submission to the Trade and Industry Portfolio Committee.

 

Protection and Promotion of Investment Bill, 2015

On 28 July 2015, Parliament published the revised Protection and Promotion of Investment Bill. The revised Bill can be found online here.

The updated Bill revises the Protection and Promotion of Investment Bill, which was initially published in 2013. SECTION27 and the Treatment Action Campaign jointly made a submission on the 2013 Bill and the IP provisions contained in the Bill which can be read here. Médecins Sans Frontières also made a submission on the Bill available here.

The provisions dealing with IP and compulsory licensing – commented on in the SECTION27/TAC and the Médecins Sans Frontières submissions – have been removed from the revised Bill.