Copyright Act, general exceptions for quotation and news reporting
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.
In force since 1 January 1979.
A snippet reproduction rule binding private bodies.
As of 5 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.
Section 12(1)(c) permits fair dealing with a literary or musical work for the purpose of reporting current events in a newspaper, magazine, or similar periodical, or by broadcast, provided the source and author are mentioned.
Section 12(3) permits quoting from a literary or musical work lawfully available to the public, including a quotation from a newspaper or periodical article in the form of a press summary, provided the quotation is compatible with fair practice, its extent does not exceed what the purpose justifies, and the source and author are mentioned; the provision carries no fixed headline-length or short-extract cap distinct from this fair-practice test.
Section 12(7) permits reproducing or broadcasting an article on a current economic, political, or religious topic published in a newspaper, periodical, or broadcast, if the reproduction has not been expressly reserved and the source is clearly mentioned.
Section 12(8)(a) removes copyright altogether from official texts of a legislative, administrative, or legal nature, speeches of a political nature, and news of the day that are mere items of press information, so no copyright ever attaches to such content in the first place.
When LexLint raises it
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Read the law
Copyright Act 98 of 1978, consolidated text (South African Legal Information Institute)