The Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA), together with its stakeholders, are currently in the process of reviewing the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Protection, 1994 (Act No. 6 of 1994).
The revision of this act affects all musicians, authors, artists, developers, and originators of creative works; and is aimed at updating and modernising copyright protection in Namibia. Partnering with BIPA is the Ministry of Education, Arts & Culture, UNESCO, and the IPLC.
The review process started in 2019 when BIPA engaged with affected stakeholders on different platforms.
BIPA will now offer stakeholders in the regions the opportunity to provide further input into the working document for the development of the new Copyright Legal Framework in Namibia.
This will be done by a team of specialists visiting all 14 regions and consulting the various constituencies and affected stakeholders to ensure that sufficient input has been received, ultimately making the draft bill one that has been widely consulted on. Consultations will take place throughout March month, with Gobabis and Windhoek being targeted on 5 and 6 March 2021 respectively.
The team will also visit Swakopmund on Monday, 8 March 2021 after which the other regions will have their turn. “Extensive stakeholder engagement is critical, especially with reference to the review and subsequent amendment of a law. We implore all Namibians to join BIPA on this consultative process and bring along your creative and innovative thoughts and ideas,” noted Ockert Jansen, Executive for Marketing and Corporate Communications at BIPA.
In addition to the copyright law, BIPA is also in the process of reviewing the Companies Act, 2004 (Act No. 28 of 2004) as well as the Close Corporations Act, 1988 (Act No. 26 of 1988). The aim is to make the laws more responsive to the existing business and innovation environment to ensure that Namibia reaches its objective of improving business, attracting foreign and domestic investment, and thereby spurring economic growth and prosperity.