This form is for South African authors who wish to add their name to an open letter in support of South Africa's long overdue Copyright Amendment Bill. The full text of the letter can be found
here.
The letter expresses support for the Bill because it incorporates flexibility for researchers, educators, and creators in the form of fair use, and because it prioritises economic rights for authors (e.g., by protecting them from one-sided contracts with big publishers). Unfortunately the Bill has received tremendous opposition from commercial rights holders that are well funded and well organized. We believe it’s important that the public hear from authors who support access to knowledge, research flexibility, and the public interest.
This form also includes an option to join the Authors Alliance as a member. Authors Alliance is nonprofit that supports authors from around the world who want to serve the public good by sharing their creations broadly and who want to see knowledge and culture available and discoverable. We focus on information law and policy, including copyright reform, fair use, and open access to scholarly research and open science. You can read more about our work at www.authorsalliance.org. 