SA copyright coalition lockdown promoting piracy

JOHANNESBURG,- The Copyright Coalition of South Africa said on Tuesday it was concerned that what it called the disjointed approach to easing Covid-19 lockdown regulations in South Africa in relation to the publishing industry was encouraging piracy.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government imposed a nationwide lockdown from March 27 which grounded almost all business and social activity save for essential services in a bid to contain transmissions of the coronavirus which has spread around the world since being first detected in China late last year.

South Africa’s lockdown regulations were eased slightly from May 1 to allow some operations to resume on a limited basis.

However, the copyright coalition said even under the less stringent level 4 rules, books which were not ‘educational’ continued to be restricted, meaning many South Africans currently unable to work or working reduced hours could not access reading material.

“The consequence of this ill-considered policy has been an increase in the illegal distribution of copyright materials including on social media,” Copyright Coalition of South Africa chairman Collen Dlamini said in a statement.