Copyright Act 1999, Fair Dealing for Reporting Current Events
Copyright Act, 1999 (Act No. 11 of 1999), s. 41
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
Commencement not set.
A snippet reproduction rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 6 September 2026.
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
The Act received assent on 19 March 1999. Section 1(2) provides that it commences on a date or dates the Minister appoints by notice in the Gazette, rather than upon assent, and no specific commencement notice has been located.
Copying a work for the purpose of reporting current events by means of a sound recording, audio visual work, broadcast, or cable programme does not infringe copyright in the work, and copying a work other than a photograph for that purpose by any other means does not infringe copyright if the copy is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement.
Neither subsection creates a blanket exception for a news aggregator's routine reproduction of headlines or extracts; the dealing must still be fair dealing directed at reporting current events, judged on the specific facts.
What it reaches
Instrument type
statute
Categories
Snippet reproduction
Read the law
Official English text, Copyright Act, 1999 (Act No. 11 of 1999), reproduced by WIPO Lex