2023:Program/Submissions/Advocacy in South Africa: WMZA's copyright adventure over the past 10 years - P8WWL8

From Wikimania

Title: Advocacy in South Africa: WMZA's copyright adventure over the past 10 years

Speakers:

Douglas Ian Scott (User:Discott)

Douglas has been an editor on the English language Wikipedia since 2006 and a member of the South African chapter of Wikimedia since 2012. He was president of Wikimedia South Africa from 2015 to 2020 and was the organizing chairperson for Wikimania 2018, the official annual international Wikipedia conference. He has been involved in copyright advocacy to support the free knowledge movement since 2014 when he has advocated for the adoption of Fair Use and Freedom of Panorama in South Africa. In addition to his copyright advocacy Douglas has organized and implemented over 20 projects for Wikimedia South Africa such as Wiki Loves Monuments (2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015), Wiki From Above, the first climate change edit-a-thon, Kiwix pilot deployments, and Wiki Loves Science. He is always interested in projects that encourage more people to read and edit Wikipedia or contribute to Wikimedia Commons. Additional interests include public policy and the role it plays in the free knowledge movement. He currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa, and in his day job works as a criminologist specializing in technology, data collection, project design, and crime analysis. He has a strong interest in history, technology, the environment and public policy.

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Type: Lecture

Track: Legal, Advocacy, and Risks

Submission state: submitted

Duration: 30 minutes

Do not record: false

Presentation language: en


Abstract & description[edit source]

Abstract[edit source]

Wikimedia South Africa has been trying to get Freedom of Panorama and Fair Use adopted into South African law. Join us for a brief presentation and discussion around the chapter's experiences, successes, failures and the partnerships we have made along the way. What strategies and tactics we have found effective and how to engage with government to shape the law so it is friendlier for Wikipedia editors.

Description[edit source]

Wikimedia South Africa has been working to get Freedom of Panorama adopted into South African law since 2014; an effort that grew out of the chapter's experience hosting Wiki Loves Monuments. This presentation will give a summary of why Freedom of Panorama is so important to us, how we approached government to get Copyright Law changed, who we have worked with to convince both legislatures and public of the need for Freedom of Panorama and what the response has been from lobbyists who do not want the law changed. This will also cover why the chapter also started advocating for Fair Use to be adopted.

Wikimedia South Africa's efforts were successful in the form of the Copyright Amendment Bill that updates the old apartheid era copyright law and that includes both Freedom of Panorama and Fair Use. However the bill, although passed by both houses of parliament in 2018, as not been enacted by the presidency. The session will finish off with a brief outline on what we expect for the future of the Copyright Amendment Bill and Freedom of Panorama in South Africa.

We feel that important lessons can be learned from our experiences in South Africa. Lessons that we hope others in the Wiki community who are interested in advocacy can build on.

To learn more about Wikimedia South Africa's copyright advocacy efforts please see his page on meta: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_South_Africa/Copyright_Amendment_Bill

Further details[edit source]

Qn. How does your session relate to the event themes: Diversity, Collaboration Future?

Freedom of Panorama is an important issue for being able to celebrate the diversity of South Africa on Wikipedia in an inclusive way. Without it South Africans can only upload photographs of public works (like monuments) onto Wiki if they are very old, typically Colonial era, works. This means that we can not feature newer works that celebrates an inclusive South Africa.

Qn. What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?

Everyone can participate in this session

Qn. What is the most appropriate format for this session?

  • Tick Onsite in Singapore
  • Empty Remote online participation, livestreamed
  • Empty Remote from a satellite event
  • Empty Hybrid with some participants in Singapore and others dialing in remotely
  • Empty Pre-recorded and available on demand