Documentary filmmakers don’t understand SA’s copyright law

Recent research conducted by South African filmmakers in conjunction with professors Peter Jaszi and Sean Flynn has found that there are important aspects and user rights inherent in SA’s copyright law that South African filmmakers and other users of copyright material are not aware of.


In an attempt to better understand rights as users and creators under copyright law and to support emerging artists, the South African Screen Federation (SASFED), Documentary Filmmakers’ Association (DFA), University of Cape Town IP Unit, and American University’s Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) held a public briefing on Monday, 18 August 2014.

The briefing was held to discuss the issue that documentary filmmakers in South Africa do not understand their rights in terms of quoting copyrighted material within their work, and that this has directly resulted in a decrease in the production and circulation of local documentary films.

South Africa’s copyright law is currently under revision.

For the original article in Screen Africa click here.