CIPC workshop in Pretoria brings departments together on limitations and exceptions and broadcasting ahead of the next SCCR
South Africa’s Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) brought together officials from across government on Tuesday 10 November 2026 for a day-long workshop on the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR). The Centre on Knowledge Governance (CKG) was the guest speaker.
The workshop in Pretoria was part of the country’s preparations for the next round of discussions in Geneva. Delegates came from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the National Library of South Africa and the National Film, Video and Sound Archives.
After CIPC opened the day and set out its purpose, CKG’s Director presented through the morning. The presentation covered the Chair’s text on limitations and exceptions for libraries, archives, museums, education and research (SCCR/49/5), the Chair’s text on a broadcasting treaty, proposals from the African Group and other members, and how the international texts line up with South Africa’s Copyright Amendment Bill, following the Constitutional Court’s 2026 judgment on the Bill.
Participants worked from a shared collection of more than 20 SCCR documents, proposals, timelines and analyses prepared by CKG, including a clause-by-clause comparison of the Chair’s text with the Copyright Amendment Bill.
In the afternoon, each department reflected on what the texts mean for its own work, and South Africa’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, which coordinates the African Group, joined online. CIPC closed the day with a discussion on the way forward.
The workshop is part of CKG’s technical assistance to governments and delegations preparing for negotiations at WIPO.
