The Publishers Associations of South Africa, an affiliate of the Copyright Coalition of South Africa, has served cease and desist letters on the administrators of the WhatsApp group called “Die Boek Klub” as part of an ongoing effort to curb an explosion in piracy since the enactment of the national lockdown.
The Copyright Coalition of South Africa is concerned that the disjointed approach to the easing of South Africa’s lockdown regulations as they pertain to the publishing industry is encouraging the abuse of copyrighted materials throughout the country.
Under the recently-implemented Level 4 regulations, books which are not “educational” continue to be restricted. The effect of this decision is that many South Africans – some who are now unable to work or are working reduced hours – cannot access reading material.
A consequence of this policy has been an increase in the illegal distribution of copyright materials including on social media. In the long-term, the extension and entrenchment of these illegal distribution channels will fatally cripple the industry, according to the Publishers Associations of South Africa.
A number of South African publishers and agents of international publishers have noted the existence of social media platforms distributing illegal e-books and other pirated copies. The illegal copies ran into hundreds of titles and included best-selling South African and international authors’ titles.
Publishers, with the support of the Publishers’ Association of South Africa, are collecting evidence in an attempt to curb the practice. These efforts culminated in the serving of the cease and desist letters.
Also in response to this trend, more the 350 authors, academics, and readers signed an open letter to the President requesting that all books be available for people to purchase either online or telephonically.