Teresa Hackett, EIFL Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager will testify at the Office of the US Trade Representative during a public hearing to review South Africa’s place in its largest preferential trade scheme for developing countries, known as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). GSP provides duty-free access to US markets of goods from designated developing countries, including South Africa, and is a gateway for participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), worth an estimated US$2.38 billion to the South African economy.

The review was triggered following a complaint from the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), an umbrella organization of five US-based trade associations from multinational film, music, software and publishing industries, that South Africa’s Copyright Amendment Bill fails to provide “adequate and effective protection of US copyrights”. EIFL strongly supports the Copyright Amendment Bill, that brings the 1978 Copyright Act into the digital age, with welcome new provisions enabling modern library activities and services, such as digital preservation, support for online learning, and uses by persons with disabilities.