1978

1978, did you know?

If you were around in 1978, you would know that … the Kreepy Krauly was a cutting edge invention, wii referred to bodily waste and not a technology, and the web was used by spiders.

But did you know that the current South African Copyright Act was written in 1978?

Now that’s crazy talk

Not so much about the Kreeply Krauly, but more about the Copyright Act. Especially when you think that the ways we communicate today weren’t even invented then. Email in 1978? Nope. Talking to overseas family members on Skype? Definitely not. Downloading and sharing video and photographs? Not possible.

The Copyright Act of 1978 needs to be updated to reflect what we as South Africans can legally do in the digital age.

It’s all about access to knowledge

In 1978 we were accessing information very differently to how we are accessing it today. If we’re not accessing information via a computer, we’re doing it via a mobile phone. But doing it, we are.
The Copyright Act, which is one of the major acts that governs how we access information, is 32 years old. It is now time to be updated.

Understanding the debate around access to knowledge is key to understanding why, and how, the Copyright Act should be updated. Read more here. And watch the video below.