Reacting to the judgement, IPA member the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA) issued the following statement:
The judgment of the Constitutional Court delivered on the 26th June 2026 provides important clarity on the constitutional issues raised in relation to the Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill. We welcome the finding of the Court that certain aspects of the CAB are unconstitutional. We have maintained that these provisions raised significant constitutional concerns and risked creating uncertainty for South Africa’s copyright framework and creative industries. We are studying the rest of the order in the interim and trust that the judgment will provide Parliament with clear guidance to ensure that any future legislation achieves an appropriate balance between public access, the protection of creators’ rights, and constitutional compliance.
The IPA continues to support South African publishers.