Tough negotiations in US over SA copyright bill
31 January 2020
Senior US and South African officials will sit together in Washington DC on Friday to try to resolve an argument over copyright laws which has put billions of dollars in trade at stake.
The United States Trade Representative announced last year a review of SA’s trade deal with the US under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). The GSP is the largest and oldest US trade preference programme that allows duty-free imports from less developed countries.
The review decision threatens South African exports to the United States, worth up to R35 billion a year.
The decision to review South Africa’s trade status came after big US entertainment companies, under the umbrella of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), complained in a petition about the South African government’s attempt to update copyright legislation.